


Candlelight Dinner

by 21bangsfangirl



Category: Video Blogging RPF, Youtube RPF, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Attempt at horror, Darkiplier - Freeform, Dom/sub, Dom/sub Undertones, Edgeplay, Europe, Jack is a virgin, Jack is an introvert, Light BDSM, M/M, Minor Character Death, Racism, Septiplier - Freeform, jack's friends make you smh, might be ooc at times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2018-07-28 20:57:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7656469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/21bangsfangirl/pseuds/21bangsfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lost and alone in a chilly early December night. Jack stumbled upon a mansion in the middle of the Black Forest. He just wanted a shelter, perhaps some food. But, the stranger might not be as kind as Jack had thought.</p><p>"The name is Mark, and you will stay here forever"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Light At The End of The Road

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings, it is I, 21bangsfangirl. Back with yet another septiplier AU.
> 
> So, DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except the idea and the plot.  
> This work is inspired by Taylor Swift - Blank Space [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ORhEE9VVg] and Alan Walker - Faded [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ItHLz5WEA], but is no way associated with and is not my written interpretation of each songs or music videos.
> 
> Proceed!

It was a chilly late November night. Jack watched his friends gathered around the fireplace from afar. He was sitting on his childhood swing, moving it lazily back and forth. He could feel the winter breeze on the back of his gloveless hands and the tip of his nose. It felt good to be back in Ireland after living in the United States for almost about a year. He looked at his friends again and smiled. Thankfully he made some friends that could make his life in America a lot easier.

“Hey, Jack!”

A lanky guy with blonde hair in light blue jacket, Felix shouted at him.

“Yeah?”

“Stop being a goddamn introvert for a sec and come join us over here!”

Jack smiled and nodded. If it wasn’t for Felix’s stubbornness he would spend the whole year on his own in his pathetic flat in Los Angeles and not meet the rest of his awesome squad.

“Having a nostalgic moment, Jack?”, the girl with the pretty eyes, Marzia, asked him.

“Yeah, I was just thinking how different today would be if I hadn’t met you guys.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you wouldn’t be undiscovered if you die in that pitiful apartment of yours.”, Ken, a big brown-haired guy with heavy beard added.

“Thanks, guys. Also, thank you for coming here with me. I never brought any friends home.”

“Really, Jack?”, Felix raised an eyebrow. “God, you should’ve moved to America ages ago.”

Jack laughed. “Yeah, probably.”

“So, how long are we gonna stay here again?”, Matt, another blonde guy skinnier than Felix asked.

“Ryan mentioned that he wanted a Eurotrip. Didn’t you, Ryan?”

The addressed guy, Ryan looked up from his chocolate mug and nodded excitedly with a happy grin on his face.

“Are we really going to do it, guys?”, Ryan asked.

“Yeah, if you want to, I guess. No one else has ever been to Europe before, right?”

“Well, Marzia and I—“

“Yes, I know, Felix. I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Oh, right. I thought you forget.”

“How could he forget if you talk about it all the time since we landed here?”, Ken rolled his eyes.

“Well, you never know with Jack.”

“I’m not fuckin’ Dory, Felix. Gosh, you and your obsession with that movie.”

“Hey! Do not make fun of Dory, you’re going to ruin my fantasyland.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, son.”

“Sean! Get your friends inside! It’s going to be really cold soon!”, Jack’s mother shouted from the house.

“Yes, Ma!”

Jack turned to his friends and asked them to go inside.

 

* * *

 

“It’s really great to finally meet Jack’s friends!”, Jack’s mother said when they were comfortably sitting in the family room after dinner.

“It’s great to meet Jack’s mom, too!”, Marzia replied in her usual cheerful tone.

“So what’s your plan?”

“We were thinking to have a trip around Europe!”, Ryan answered.

“That’s nice! So when are you going to leave?”

“Are you kicking us out, Ma?”

“Don’t be an eejit, Jack. The sooner you leave, the sooner you come back. Might just be in time to meet your Pa, sisters and brothers.”

“That’s a good idea!”, Felix exclaimed. “I want to meet the rest of the McLoughlins!”

Jack’s mother grinned happily. “I’m so _glad_ your friends are more excited in meeting your family than you are, Jack.”

“What do you mean, Ma? Of course I want to meet everyone else!”

“Of course, you are.”

Jack raised his eyebrows at his mother.

“Anyways, kids. I better go to bed now. An old lady like me needs her beauty sleep.”

“Of course, Mrs. McLoughlin.”, Ken smiled at Jack’s mother.

The woman smiled back and quickly excused herself from the group of young people.

“So, guys. We better make plans and lists of the places we want to visit, how to get there and where to spend the nights.”

“Here comes tactician Jack.”, Ryan snickered.

“I’m just trying to look out for you, guys. Europe in winter is not a safe place.”

“Is it the vampires?”, Felix asked.

“The werewolves?”, Ken added.

Jack made a face. “Maybe. You never know.”

“Ha. Very funny, Jack.”, Matt said.

“I was just saying. Those horror movies didn’t just come out of  nowhere. No fire, no smoke.”

“You’re just scaring us so we would cancel. Well, guess what, buddy? Monsters or not, we’re still going.”, Ryan decided out loud.

“Fine, guys. Then we should start planning out the trip.”

They spent the rest of that night writing lists, browsing trains, buses, trams, hotels and all sorts of accomodations. Matt was in charge of the budget since he was the best with money. The rest of them would just throw them around to buy whatever they feel like. They retired to bed at around 3 a.m. with a pretty solid plan and list in hand.

 

* * *

 

Three days later, Jack’s mother sent them off to the airport for their flight to Madrid. They figured to go to Spain first then work their way up to France, Italy, Germany then United Kingdom before finally going back to Ireland. Felix protested that they should visit his place in Sweden, but convinced they would visit him after they met Jack’s family before flying back to Los Angeles. Everyone else supported Jack’s idea and Felix grumpily agreed, briefly questioning why Jack’s family was more important than his. Everyone except Jack and Marzia pretended they didn’t hear his question.

“It’s not that, Felix. It’s just we promised Ma we were going to be back in time to see the rest of my family. You were the one who agreed to it first, remember?”, Jack had said.

Marzia told him, “Of course your family is as important to us as Jack’s. Why would you even think that?”

Felix rested his case.

 

* * *

 

They spent five days in Spain, another five days in France and six days in Italy. They visited Marzia’s family house and got to meet her family. The Bisognins cooked them authentic Italian dishes and they couldn’t be happier to know how homecooked Italian meals taste like. They thanked the Bisognins repeatedly before leaving to their next destination, Germany.

It was 10 p.m. when they arrived in Berlin. They managed to find a nice affordable motel to spend the night. They gathered in Felix’s room to talk about the places they should visit in Germany. They agreed to go to Munich the next day and probably wouldn’t spend as long in Germany as they did in other countries.

In the morning, they bought one-for-all train tickets at the hotel reception while checking out of the hotel. The staff explained that the ticket could be used to go anywhere in Germany as long as they have enough credits in the ticket card. Not wanting to waste any time, they quickly left for the train station.

When they arrived at the train station, they didn’t need to buy tickets since they already had the all-for-one tickets they bought at the hotel. Their train would depart in 45 minutes, they decided to grab coffee while they wait.

“We should’ve came here on October, though. Imagine attending Oktoberfest.”, Ken said.

“Yeah, that would’ve been amazing. Seeing people getting shit-faced.”, Jack commented.

“Oh, come on, Jack. We’ll be the one getting shit-faced. I thought you were Irish!”

Jack hummed. “Yeah. Sorry, guys. I think I’m more psyched about potatoes than I am about getting drunk.”

Ken _tsk_ -ed.

“Oh? That’s what you think, Ken? The reason I don’t want to do it is because I don’t want to babysit you guys when you’re off your races. I’m still the one with the highest tolerance!”

“Listen here, Jack. We decided not to go to Sweden so we can spend time with your family instead of Felix’s. So you better be gratef—“

Ken accidentally hit Jack’s coffee cup and it spilled all over Jack’s coat, shirt and pants.

“Shit. I’m so sorry, Jack.”

Jack glared at Ken. “Goddammit, Ken. I swear to God.”

“Guys, seriously. You’re acting like children!”, Marzia said and gave a bunch of tissues to Jack to wipe the stain off.

“I don’t think that’s going to cut it, Marzia. I have to clean it up.”

“Jack, we don’t have time. The train is going to arrive anytime now.”, Ryan said.

“It’s okay, guys. I’ll catch up with you!”

Jack ran to the men’s room to clean his clothes as much as he can. He heard his friends shouting from outside saying their train was here already. So he quickly finished up, got his all-for-one ticket out and ran to the train that had just arrived. He got inside and noticed that the train was not packed. He thought to himself maybe because it was not holiday season. Jack found himself a comfortable seat near the window. He figured he’d find his friends later when they arrived, he was not in the mood to see Ken anyway.

 

* * *

 

“Guys, do you think Jack made it inside?”, Marzia asked.

“I’m sure he did, Marzia. I saw him running out of the toilet when we were about to board the train. Maybe he’s just in a different car.”, Matt answered.

“Hopefully”

 

* * *

 

Jack opened his eyes and saw it was really dark outside. He looked at his watch and it showed 9.30 p.m.  He had been sitting in the train for almost seven hours and they hadn’t arrived in Munich yet? He thought he read on the internet that train time from Berlin to Munich was six hours tops. Maybe they faced some road obstacles when he was asleep.

The train stopped around twenty minutes later. He quickly grabbed his bags and followed everyone else out of the train. It was dark and unsettling in the train station. Jack waited for a few minutes but couldn’t see any of his friends coming out of the train. His eyes caught a staff punching out tickets, he walked fast approaching her.

“Hi. Ich spreche kein Deutsch. Sprechen Sie Englisch?”

The staff lazily turned to him and answered him, “Yes.”

“Hi. Sorry. I just... I seem to be lost... Is this Munich?”

“Munich? Nein. You are in Freiburg.”

“Freiburg?”

“Yes, the “Jewel of the Black Forest”, ever hear about it?”

“Black Forest... Oh God. I got on the wrong train.”, Jack mumbled to himself.

The staff blinked at him questioningly.

“Is there any train up to Munich any time soon?”

“Sorry. No train. Wait until tomorrow.”

Jack grimaced. “Right. Great. So, what about motel?”

“Bus in fifteen minutes.”, the staff said and pointed to the direction of the bus stop.

“Danke. Danke schoen!”

Jack saluted the staff and walked to the bus stop.

The bus arrived six minutes late Jack realised that no one else was in the bus with him, so he sat on the front next to the bus driver. He wished he could speak German so the ride wouldn’t be eerie and awkward. They were going pretty fast, neither the driver nor Jack saw the animal slowly crossing the road. Jack saw the brief terror in the driver’s eyes before he lost control of the wheel and hit a nearby big pile of rocks. Jack fell tumbling down to the bus floor. He waited a short while before getting up to check on the driver. He gasped audibly when he saw the driver’s face was fully painted red with fresh blood. He backed away slowly, contemplated whether to stay in the bus until morning or go out and find help. He went with leaving the bus and look for help.

Jack slowly jumped down from the bus and started walking to the direction the bus was heading. Hoping there could be other buses or anything. He wasn’t picky. His tosca green-dyed hair sticked to his head from the blood and sweat. He would be lying if he wasn’t scared shitless. After walking for God knows how long he was met with a sign and tire tracks leading to turn right, going deeper into the forest. Jack couldn’t really read what was written on the sign, he could only make out some letters.

_F—chb--- V-ll-_

Jack could have sworn there were some claw marks on the sign, like the claws were trying to blur away the words written. He took a deep breath. This was such a horror cliche, but what other options were there? Continue walking until he found someone seemed extremely unlikely so he limped towards the light in the near distance.

It wasn’t long until he was greeted by a large white and red painted mansion. Jack noticed it had beautiful gardens. He continued his journey to the front door of the mansion. He didn’t even knock when the doors opened by itself. There was a silver-railed massive stairs leading to the second floor but Jack focused on the tall figure standing at the end of the stairs.

“Hi. Ich spreche kein Deutsch. M-My name is Jack. I’m lost. If it doesn’t bother you, may I stay just for the night?”

“That accent”, the stranger spoke up. His deep voice echoed through the silent mansion.

Jack shivered.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“N-No, Sir.”

The figure walked out from the shadow. The red streaks on his black hair glistened under the moonlight beam. Unexpectedly, the stranger smiled, and with the unsettling mix of foreign accent and deep heart-stopping voice, he told Jack.

“The name is Mark, and you can even stay here _forever_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter! What do you guys think?  
> Let me know in the comments! Don't forget to leave kudos too!


	2. Incredible Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos on the first chapter.  
> Here is the Chapter 2, basically Jack gets to know Mark.
> 
> Proceed!

Jack woke up to blinding rays of sun on his face. He squinted his eyes to let them adjust with the brightness of the room. He cursed under his breath as he slowly put himself in a sitting position. He opened his eyes and slowly take in his surroundings. He was sitting on a king-sized bed in white silk sheets. The room he was in was very wide. Its size was probably the same as his whole flat back in Los Angeles, but there were less things in it than he had in his drawer. There were tall windows covered with deep red curtains to his left. There was also a white vanity table at the right corner next to the white double door with red chrome handles. A large white vintage wardrobe could be seen not far from it. Everything in the room was very vintage-like, including the chandelier hanging from the white ceiling. Other than that, the room was fairly empty.

Jack slowly got off the bed and walked to look at himself on the vanity table’s mirror. There was still remains of blood sticking to his green hair that made it look a disturbing hue of green. He was also still in the clothes he had on him when he arrived in the mansion, except for his stained jacket. He looked around the room briefly and realised that his backpack was not there. He, then left the room to look for it.

The house was massive, he passed at least five other rooms on his way to the stairs leading to the first floor. The owner of the house was standing at the feet of the stairs, looking up at him with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Did you have a good rest, Jack?”

“I did.”, Jack answered briefly. He then continued when he finally stood in front of Mark, “Thank you for your hospitality, sir Mark. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if I hadn’t found this place.”

“Do not think much of it. I am delighted to help.”

Jack smiled a little at him.

“Would you like to have breakfast now? The cooks prepared a special meal this morning.”

“I don’t know if I should...”

“Why not?”

“Well, you already allowed me to stay the night—“

“Hush, Jack. Please, I insist.”

Jack took a deep breath before agreeing, then Mark gave him another pleasant smile before asking Jack to follow him to the dining hall. Mark led him through dozens of white double doors with red chrome handles. The house had pale marble as its floor and red chromes as its railings. Fresh plants and various sculptures decorated the interior of the mansion. Jack, however, was more enthralled by the lord of the house. Mark was, in lack of better words, perfect. The man was wearing a neatly tailored suit that seemed to be out of time. A dark red tailcoat and light grey pants hugged his well-defined figure. He was wearing a pair of black Hessians that made noises echoed around the empty halls. He was also wearing white gloves and a black cravat around his neck. His black hair was brushed forward, emphasizing the red streaks at the front. His facial features were unusual. A pair of dark narrow eyes that sent quick, sharp gazes around. He had a tall nose that looked fairly wide from the front; a pair of thin lips and trimmed beard dusted around his chiseled jawline. To Jack, he was unreal as if he wasn’t a human being.

“You do not talk much, Jack.”

“Yeah, my friends call me the most introverted introvert.”

“Introvert?”

“Yes.”

“I believe I am unfamiliar with the term. Would you please elucidate?”

“Did you just say elucidate?”. Jack stifled a giggle.

“Yes, I did. Is it inaccurate?”

“No it’s not inaccurate. It’s just, no one really say that, you know.”

“Oh, I did not know that.”

A brief silence.

“Well, Jack?”

“Uh, yes?”

“You haven’t satisfied my inquiry.”

“Oh, right. Introvert. Well, when someone is an introvert it means they’re a shy or a reticent person. They don’t really like to spend time with many people or a crowd. They prefer their alone-time.”

“Ah, so you’re a recluse?”

“Well, not to that extent, I guess. I just don’t like having people constantly around me and invading my own personal bubble.”

“I see. Then, is there any steps needed to be taken to approach you?”

“My closest friend Felix just constantly bothered me and pulled me out of my house. He is quite persistent.”

Jack smiled a bit at the memory.

“I see. Thank you for answering, Jack.”

“You’re welcome? I don’t know why you’re thanking me, though.”

“Just manners. My father told me that they are highly important.”

“But, you didn’t need to say thank you. I didn’t do anything.”

“Is that so? Then inform me the appropriate times to express gratitude towards other people.”

“When people do things for you, I suppose.”

“You just did something for me. You answered my question.”

“Not everytime, then.”

“Not everytime? You perplex me, Jack. Do your friends not have the right manners?”

“Well, everyone does that, not just my friends. You just don’t need to say thank you all the time.”

“I see.”

Mark opened the double door for him and gestured him to get inside the dining hall first. The dining hall was like any other room in the mansion, painted white with vintage furniture and a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Jack just realised that they weren’t any electrical appliances in Mark’s house. The illumination of the house counted on the sun and a few candles. He thought that maybe they couldn’t install electricity without changing the house. There was a very large and long dining table at the centre of the room with various types of food served.

“Oh, Golly. There’s enough food to feed a squadron!”

“Hardly. You are exaggerating, Jack.”

“No, sir Mark. I’m definitely not exaggerating.”

“Take a seat, then. Taste the family’s traditional dish.”

Jack grabbed a chair at the edge of the far corner of the white silk clad table. Mark sat himself at the head of the table. He was close, but not too close to Jack, keeping a comfortable distance. The servants came out of a door behind Mark and gave them napkins and cutleries. Jack could see Mark’s face clearly as the sunlight hit him just right and mentally lectured himself. He was definitely not going to feel something for the stranger in the woods. It was unhealthy in every way. So he dug in to the food in front of him instead. He was surprised on how good it tasted.

“This is very delicious, sir Mark!”

“My family took pride in having the recipe.”

“Well, they should. It’s really good!”

Mark smiled then continued eating.

“I’m sorry if this is privy, but do you live alone?”

“The servants are here during the day, but at night they come home to the housing I made for them not far from here.”

“So, you live on your own in this massive castle?”

“Yes, my family has all passed.”

“I’m sorry, sir Mark.”

“Why do you apologise? It wasn’t your doing.”

“Well, it’s like, an expression of condolence.”

“I see.”

“I have to go soon. I’ve bothered you enough.”

Mark looked up from his dish sharply. He looked at Jack with an expression that Jack could not comprehend.

“That is nonsensical, Jack. If you go, where will you stay?”

“I have to go back to Munich, my friends are all there. I was supposed to go to Munich too, but I got on the wrong train.”

“That is very unfortunate. I was planning to keep you around for a while. You did say you do not like companies, but I find your company very endearing. I would like it very much if you stay for a bit, fair traveler.”

Jack stared at Mark in confusion. Mark was a rich noble guy. He must had friends, right? Or, did rich blueblood people not have friends?

“Most people find me quite boring, sir Mark.”

“I do not find you boring at all, Jack.”

“And yes, I’m a traveler but I’m definitely not fair.”

Mark chuckled.

“You are very attractive. I am thankful to the Creator for giving you eyes like the clear ocean surface.”

“Oh, wow. Thank you, sir Mark. Though unfortunately not many people share the same thought.”

“How so?”

“There’s just nothing really nothing special about me, sir.”

The lord of the house hummed in return.

“Say, fair traveler. Have you ever rode a horse before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Jack saw the corner of Mark’s mouth turned upwards a little.

“Well, I will take you to ride one along the forest, then.”

“What? No! I’m gonna die!”

Mark laughed. “You are not going to die, Jack. It is just horse riding.”

“I don’t really do sports, sir Mark. So, I don’t think it’s a good idea to take me out riding horses.”

Mark inhaled slowly as if trying to calm himself down instead of Jack. “Do not fret, Jack. Trust me, I will keep you safe.”

By the time they finished eating, Jack got really anxious. Mark was going to take him horse-riding. Just how big of an embarrassment would he be when they hit the road on a horse? Mark called for the servants and instructed one of them to inform the stable boy that he needed to have the horse ready. Then Mark walked out of the dining hall in wide steps headed to the stable few meters left of the mansion. Jack followed behind him.

“Sir Mark, you didn’t see my bag around when I arrived here, did you?”

“I did, Jack. I have it.”

“Oh, thank God. I’m going to need it.”

“For what purpose?”

“Well, my things are in there. I need to change clothes later.”

“I’ll lend you clothes.”

“But, it’s better if I have my backpack because I have some toiletries in there, too.”

Mark sighed audibly. “Very well, you can have your bag in the morning.”

“Why not—“

“Here we are.”

Mark called for the stable boy. He already had two beautiful white horses ready. Jack stopped his thoughts and slowly approached the two beauties. He headed for the one with a lighter mane and slowly reached out his hand to pet her.

“Well, well. Aren’t you a beauty.”

Jack smiled widely. He had never felt this before, a feeling of experiencing something new. The horse grunted softly then nudged him slowly.

“What’s her name?”

“Allegria.”

“That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful horse.”

Mark then helped Jack to mount the horse. He had his hands on Jack’s waist. Jack would be lying if he said he didn’t have butterflies in his stomach, or whatever people called it. But then again, who wouldn’t have them when a person as gorgeous as Mark grabbed their waist?

Mark and the stable boy then taught him how to maneuver the horse and after a few near-death attempts, Jack succeeded.

“Yes! Oh my God, sir Mark. That was very, very scary.”

Mark laughed freely. “You are very fascinating, Jack.”

“If you call being hilariously scared to death fascinating, then I am the most fascinating thing on Earth, sir Mark.”

The lord of the house then mounted his own horse.

“Just follow me, Jack. We will take the easy route.”

Mark took them pacing through the wind inside the Black Forest. Jack had never seen anything as beautiful. He silently regretted never leaving his house before. The nature had so much to offer and humans forgot that. They took nature for granted by destroying it. He couldn’t feel more sorry for the nature as he galloped on Allegria’s back behind Mark. The thin layer of snow made the chilly weather add to the sensation that enveloped Jack. He decided he was in love with this. He could only imagine how the beautiful the forest would be during other seasons. He hoped he could stay there forever.

They went back when the sun was hanging low on the west. Jack hugged Allegria before leaving her to the care of the stable boy. He then trailed behind Mark back to the direction of the mansion.

“That was amazing, sir Mark.”

“I am glad that you enjoyed it, Jack.”

“Can we do it again tomorrow?”

“Sure, tomorrow and any other time you want.”

Once they were inside the house, Mark called one of the servants to prepare clothes for Jack. The middle-aged lady came back shortly with a white dress shirt and olive-coloured pants.

“Meet me at the dining hall for our dinner when the sun set, Jack.”

He nodded. Mark smiled and excused himself from Jack’s presence. The green haired then went back to his room to change.

 

* * *

 

 

Few hours later, Jack made his way towards the dining hall. The atmosphere seemed different now that the sun were no longer illuminating the mansion. Jack praised himself for finding the dining hall on his own. When he entered, Mark was already waiting. He was sitting on the head of the table like he did that morning. He looked so different, more unreal. Jack blinked repeatedly trying to convince himself that this was not an imagination.

“Good evening, fair traveler.”

“Evenin’, sir Mark.”

“You look rather dashing, if I may say.”

“Well, t-thank you. You’re very handsome yourself, not that you weren’t handsome last night or this morning.”

Mark laughed.

“You are one fascinating human, Jack.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Jack walked towards the seat he took during breakfast. The room were lit by candles and Mark looked at him as if he was someone very good-looking.

“Do you like it here, Jack?”

“Yes, I do, sir Mark. This place is great.”

Mark smiled. “Just don’t come out after the sun is down.”

“Monsters?”

“There are no monsters out there, Jack. Wild animals, perhaps, but no monsters.”

Jack nodded. They ate dinner in comfortable silence. Jack glanced briefly at Mark everytime he had the chance. He wanted to know Mark better. Mark had said that he liked his company, right? Then, maybe Felix and the others could wait a little longer.

 

* * *

 

 

Jack was comfortably buried under the blanket in the room Mark lent him when he heard noises from outside. He quickly got out of bed to investigate the sounds. From the second floor, he could see a shadow of a man peeking at the front door. The man then tried to open the door, but he couldn’t. Jack, then remembered how it was opened for him straight away when he arrived. But, Mark was there that time and now he wasn’t.

The man tried for a few more times then it seemed that he left. The shadow could not be seen anymore. Jack slowly walked back into his room and locked it. He laid himself back on the bed. Mark’s been living on the castle all his life. Whoever it was, Mark could handle it, right?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for all typing and grammatical mistakes. I am trying to update as quick as possible. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter.  
> Tell me what you think in the comments! Also don't forget to leave kudos!


	3. Have You Heard About Him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack still gets to know Mark, or the other way around. Also Jack met someone interesting.

Mark was outside of Jack’s door when Jack woke up that morning. Mark was wearing a navy blue tailcoat with the same light grey pants that morning. He greeted Jack with a smile.

“Good morning, Jack.”

“Mornin’, sir Mark.”

“I believe you asked for your bag yesterday.”

Mark lifted his right hand to give Jack his traveler backpack. Jack was the one smiling now.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Very well. I will wait for you for our breakfast in the dining hall.”, Mark said before turning to walk his way to the dining hall.

Jack went back inside his room and placed his backpack on the bed. The green and grey coloured bag looked out of place in the otherwise middle-era looking room. Jack rummaged through his backpack for awhile and got his usual clothes out. He dug up for his phone but he couldn’t find it, though he was sure he hadn’t got it out since he arrived at Freiburg. Did Mark take his phone? But it seemed unlikely for the other man seemed to not have anything modern on him. Did he leave it in the train? Jack cursed at the possibility of having to buy a new phone. He had hard times making enough money to pay for his bills, and now he had to buy another phone. It would all be different once he left the mansion, because he would’ve had to return to a life that relied on internet connections and machines. He envied Mark for a split second, but went and wondered how Mark could live without it for so long.

Jack hurriedly changed his clothes and went downstairs to meet Mark for breakfast.

 

* * *

 

“What was taking you so long, Jack?”, the stranger asked Jack when he sat himself down at the edge of the table like he did the day before.

“I’m sorry, sir Mark. I was looking for my phone in my bag but I couldn’t find it.”

“Apology accepted. I am sure you just misplaced it, Jack.”

Jack sighed.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, sir. It’s just... That means I have to buy another one when I get back, and they’re not exactly cheap, you know.”

“Well, you shouldn’t think about that right now. You told me yesterday that you want to go horse-riding again today.”

Jack smiled and nodded. “Yes, sir. We should do that.”

“Although, I have another plan today.”

“And what’s that, sir?”

“I really enjoy painting. I was hoping that I could paint you today.”

“So, you’re saying that we should go horse-riding tomorrow instead of today?”

“No, we can do both today. But, we cannot go riding as far as we did yesterday. Would that be fine with you?”

“It’s more than fine, sir. But, why would you want to paint me? You live in a very beautiful place. You can take your horse out a bit further and paint the beautiful landscape.”

“I’ve lived here all my life, Jack. I’ve traveled to the peak of Feldberg and painted the valleys countless times, but I just met you. I want to paint you.”

“Alright. But in one condition.”

“And what would that be, fair traveler?”

“I get to bring it home and hang it on my wall.”

Jack grinned at Mark and Mark laughed.

“Then you must allow me to paint you twice.”

“You’re gonna give me two of them?”

“No, I want to keep the other one.”

“And why would you wanna do that?”

“You’re beautiful. Stop thinking like you are less than who you are.”

Jack looked down to hide his reddening cheeks. He coughed awkwardly before replying. “I am not, sir Mark. But you can keep the uglier one to scare the ghosts away.”

“Jack, look at me.”

Jack looked up to meet Mark’s eyes. Mark reached out to put his right hand on top of Jack’s on the table. His left hand went and tipped Jack’s chin up slightly.

“You are gorgeous and I am not humoring you. Believe me.”

Jack took a deep breath to calm the racing of his heart. He looked away from Mark but didn’t pull away from the other’s hold. Mark seemed to realise that he was invading Jack’s personal bubble and released Jack from his touch.

“I apologise. It may seem that I was too close.”

“Yes. I—Sir Mark, thank you. Don’t worry, it’s... it’s okay.”

“I meant it, Jack.”

Jack nodded and smiled before continuing to eat his breakfast. Jack was almost finished with it when he suddenly remembered what he saw the night before.

“Sir Mark, last night I was woken up by a sound, so I left the room and investigated it.”

Mark let his spoon landed on his bowl a little too loud at Jack’s words. “What was it?”

“I saw someone tried to get inside the house.”

“Someone?”

“It looked like a shadow of a person, I think.”

“I see.”

Mark finished up with his breakfast then quickly stood up.

“Please, Jack. If you want to ride the horses we should leave now.”

“But, I haven’t finished my breakfast yet.”

“Jack.”, Mark said Jack’s name in a commanding tone. He closed his eyes as if to calm himself down. He opened his eyes slowly before saying, “Please.”

“Okay, sir Mark.”

“Splendid.”

With that, Mark walked out of the dining hall. Jack downed his glass of water and quickly followed Mark out to the stables.

 

* * *

 

They went on a different route this time. There were more small animals hiding under the remains of plants that withered from the cold then there were yesterday. Mark occasionally looked at Jack and smiled, the green haired smiled back at him. Jack couldn’t wait to tell his friends about this experience. Tell them about riding a horse through the forest, about staying in a house without any internet nor electricity, about tasting a noble’s family special recipes, about meeting Mark and how sweet he was.

Jack figured that time went by really quick when you were enjoying yourself. The sun was at a spear’s height when they returned to the mansion. Jack said goodbye to Allegria before trailing behind Mark back towards the mansion. When they were inside, Mark already had a servant prepared clothes for him. He handed them to Jack.

“Please, take a bath and meet me in the main hall. I’ll have someone escort you there. Just ring the bell in the washroom when you’re done.”

Jack didn’t have the chance to reply because Mark turned as soon as he finished giving Jack the instructions. Jack was never one to do what someone told him to do, but he thought it was the way Mark was used to living and Mark didn’t mean him harm anyway. He wanted to show Jack his place, and Jack was in no position not to agree. It seemed like almost no one in Freiburg spoke English. Mark always talked to his servants in German. Jack would be lost without Mark in the small town.

Jack walked back to his room to get the stuff needed for taking a bath then looked for the bathroom. He opened the doors one by one. All of them looked exactly like the room he was in, empty and lacking in character. The bathroom was right across the hallway, wide and painted white with a red thick line drawn on the middle of the wall, as if securing the room with a red belt. There was an ancient looking bathtub that might have had come from the  19th century. Two sinks on the wall with mirrors on each of them. As expected, there were no lights so Jack was thankful that the sun was still up otherwise he wouldn’t be able to see what he was doing. Jack put down his things on the sink and prepared the bath. He had to look good for Mark.

 

* * *

 

The clothes Mark gave him was a similar style with the one Mark always wore. Mark gave him a dark grey tailcoat; a white dress shirt; white striped pants; a white cravat and a white pair of gloves. Jack had a hard time figuring out how to wear them. The dark brown Hessian boots was not as uncomfortable as Jack had thought. In fact, Jack felt different in them, as if he was an entirely different person.

The servant left him alone with Mark when they arrived at the main hall. Mark’s gaze fell upon him and he felt nervous all of a sudden.

“D-Do I look okay? It took me a while to put them on so I’m sorry if I kept you waiting.”

“I don’t mind. You look wonderful.”

Mark approached him and Jack mentally counted the steps Mark took to get closer to him. Jack’s breath stopped when Mark took his hand.

“Come with me.”

Jack nodded. Hand in hand, Mark led him to the side of the mansion he had never been to before. It was darker, but there were candles all over the place. The flames danced and made their shadows float gently across the walls. It wasn’t long until they were in a more private room with large two sets of windows on it. The rays of the sun were not as strong here but they accommodated the room with enough lighting, just enough for painting. There was a large single sofa that shaped like a throne. It was red and the edges seemed to be covered in gold. There was a wooden painting easel with a portrait canvas sitting on it across the sofa just next to the windows. Two stools, one bigger than the other could be seen beside it. The smaller one had a set of paint on it. Jack was impressed. He had never seen something as raw.

“This room is amazing, sir Mark.”

“This is where I paint people. They would sit on that chair and I would paint them from the other corner of the room. The windows provide excellent illumination on them.”

Mark, still holding Jack’s hand, helped him to sit on the sofa. When Jack had comfortably seated, Mark let go of his hand and then stood in front of him.

“May I have the honor, fair traveler?”

“Y-Yes, you may.”

 

* * *

 

Jack had been sitting on that chair for hours. He wanted to complain but he didn’t want to make Mark unhappy. He compared it with when he was playing his games back in Los Angeles. He could sit and play for the whole day because it was something he liked to do, and this was something that Mark liked to do. He heard Mark exhaled loudly.

“What’s wrong?”

“It is finished.”

“Really?”, Jack asked excitedly, he could stand now.

“Yes, Jack.”

“Does that mean I can move now?”

Mark laughed at Jack’s words. “Yes, Jack. You can move now.” Mark looked at Jack from behind the canvas then moved his hand in a summoning gesture. “Come here, take a look.”

Jack stood up and came to Mark’s side. He was amazed by the result. He looked so good in the painting. The face he saw in the painting was better than the face he saw in the mirror everyday.

“I look so good, sir Mark! Holy shit, it’s like a photo-shopped version of me. How can you do that?”

“I’m not sure I understand, Jack.”

“Well, I’m just saying that I look better in this than I do in real life. How can you do that?”

Mark knitted his eyebrows together. Jack saw anger flashed in his eyes.

“Would you stop that?!”, Mark asked in a high voice.

“Wha—“

“I did not even do your beauty justice, Jack. You look so, so much better than what my hands could convey in my paintings. I got upset because I could never find the right colours for your eyes, or the green shade of your hair. The combination of you, all the parts of you that you’ve come to dislike. They make you _different_ , and I love it. I cannot figure you out, fair traveler, and that bothers me.”

Jack put his hand on Mark’s shoulder.

“Do you want to figure me out, sir Mark?”

Mark looked the other way. “I do not know whether I want to. Figuring you out would mean I’m done with you. I do not want to be done with you.”

“Sir, I—“

“You want to leave. Back to your normal life, with your normal friends. I will never be that.”

Jack scoffed then laughed. “I’m not normal, sir Mark. I’m far from it. I live alone in my house and only go out to work, go to the supermarket or hunt Pokemons. I never cook, I always call delivery services when I’m hungry. I... don’t like girls and my hair is green. I’m definitely far from normal.”

Mark turned to look at Jack. He put his hand on the back of Jack’s neck.

“I did not understand what you just said. But, would you please stay here longer?”

“Yes.”

Then, Mark leaned forward and sealed their lips together. Jack felt as if the air had left his lungs and all the blood rushed uncontrollably. He closed his eyes and let himself be kissed. He’d kissed someone before but it was when he was in high school with a pretend girlfriend. Mark bit his lip softly and Jack let him in. Jack was blushing hard but decided to be bold and ran his hand through Mark’s dark hair.

They broke apart with heaving breaths. Next moment it was Mark who moved his hand from the back of Jack’s neck to bury it in Jack’s hair.

“I believe it is time for dinner.”

Jack cleared his throat and stumbled backward. “Oh, right. Yes. Sure. Dinner.”

Mark chuckled then stood up. He planted another kiss on Jack’s lips before lacing their fingers together.

“Come to the dining hall.”

No words were exchanged on their way to the dining hall. But Jack did not gripe. He was never one to talk much anyway. The food was already prepared when they got in the dining hall and the servants seemed to all had gone home. They ate their dinner with smiles plastered on their faces, at least Jack did. He couldn’t seem to hide his happiness, and Mark seemed to be just as happy as he was.

“Jack, I have a matter that I must attend tomorrow. I must leave you for a while. I will return on the next day.”

“Oh.”, Jack said, not able to keep it in. “I-It’s fine.” Jack forced a smile.

“Hey.” Mark reached out for his hand like he did at breakfast. “Don’t be sad. If I could skip it, I would. I will come back to you.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s okay.”, Jack laughed. “I just thought we’d get to spend tomorrow together, you know, after...”

Mark kissed Jack again. “I _will_ come back to you.”

Mark walked Jack to his room this time. They shared a deep and long kiss that left Jack breathless at his door.

“Good night, Jack.”

“G’night, Mark.”

When Mark turned to retreat to his room, Jack held his forearm and kissed him one more time before getting in his room and closing the room. He heard Mark’s laugh fading to the distance as the other man walked back to his own room. Jack hoped Mark would take him to his room one of these days.

 

* * *

 

A servant knocked on Jack’s door for breakfast. Mark was nowhere to be seen that morning. It seemed that Mark left very early. Jack put on the clothes he usually wore and head down for breakfast. After breakfast, Jack decided to go out for horse-riding with Allegria. He headed to the stable and tried his best to communicate with the stable boy who couldn’t speak English. Jack managed to make him understand what he were saying and took Allegria to a direction he never went before.

A few miles from the mansion, Jack could see a small village. He smiled and raced Allegria towards it. The village was very quiet. Everyone seemed to be inside the buildings. Jack unmounted Allegria and tied her to a pole in front what seemed to be a bar. He entered the bar. The inside of the bar seemed to look normal and not consisted of 19th century stuff like the things in Mark’s mansion. Jack sat at the bar and ordered a beer in a broken German. God knows he needed a tall glass or two.

Jack was halfway to the bottom of his beer when he noticed a brown haired man in a trench coat made his way to him. The man didn’t say a word as he studied Jack. Jack wished he knew how to tell someone to fuck off in German. He thought about asking Mark, but the guy wouldn’t know what it meant.

“I know you’re not from here.” The man spoke with an English accent. Jack raised his eyebrows.

“And _you’re_ not from here.”

“I saw you at the mansion. How did you escape?”

“Escape? I didn’t escape. I don’t want to escape.”

“You don’t know anything about that place, do you?”

“What’s wrong with the mansion? Okay, it’s weird. It doesn’t even have electricity and seemed to be stuck in the 1800s but nothing’s really wrong with it?”

The man slid his phone to Jack. “Fischbach Villa, been standing since 1056, belonged to the _Junker_ family of Fischbach. It was rumoured that no one ever left that place alive since 1838.”

Jack picked up the phone that the man gave him and scrolled through the articles in it. Jack was apalled by the ghastly articles of missing persons.

“Your point being?”

“I just want to know how you survived.”

“I survive because nothing bad is happening in that place. Who are you anyway?”

“Aaron Ash. I’m a private investigator hired by a relative of one of those missing persons.” The man fixed his position so he leaned closer to Jack.

“Come on. Aren’t you curious? It’s 2016, even this old village has unlimited Wi-Fi. Why would a noble’s house not have what’s necessary to survive in this era?”

“What do you want from me, Ash?”

“I want you to help me with my investigation. I heard there’s a room in the house that used to be the upcoming Lady Fischbach’s room. Before she was betrothed to the Fischbach heir, she was known as Ava Scholz.”

“You want me to sneak around the house of the person who helped me to help your flimsy investigation? Why do you think I want to help you anyway?”

“Because maybe he doesn’t think it’s your time yet and when that time comes, I might be your only hope in staying alive.”

Jack didn’t say anything. He liked Mark, maybe even fell in love with him, and doing what Ash asked him to would mean betraying Mark. But, he was curious.

“Think about it, Sean McLoughlin. I’ll help you out of here and meet your friends when we’re done.”

“How do you know who I am?”

“Because you’re in the grid, like every normal person on this earth.”

Ash stood up. “Keep the phone. My number’s there. Call me when you have the information.” Then he left the bar.

Jack looked at the phone for a few minutes before pocketing it. He exit the bar and climbed on Allegria’s back. He had to be back before sundown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive any typing and grammatical mistakes. Also don't be a silent reader, please, guys! Tell me what you think in the comments! All feedbacks are appreciated


	4. Flames So Hot That They Turn Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4. Jack and Mark had a moment. Jack discovered something.

Soft nudges at Jack’s neck woke him up from his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, lazily then looked at the source of the gentle distraction. His vision was met with a smiling face that had turned familiar over the past four days.

“Hi.”

Mark only hummed in response.

“You came back last night?”

“Yes.”

“You know what? You should really have some clocks in your house.”

“I don’t like timekeeping devices.”

“Yeah? Why?”

Jack shifted his position so he was facing Mark. The other man pulled Jack closer to him so they were nose to nose.

“They make me feel old.”

Jack laughed. “How old are you though?”

“The last time my birthday was celebrated, I was twenty seven.”

“Twenty seven”. Jack looked straight into Mark’s eyes. “I’m twenty six.”

“So young…”, Mark whispered on Jack’s lips before leaning in to capture a kiss. Jack closed his eyes to make the most of the moment. He had never have a morning kiss before, lest to receive one from someone as stunning as Mark was.

Mark pushed Jack so he lay on his back. Jack brought his hands to Mark’s shoulder then softly squeezed them. Jack felt the muscles underneath Mark’s clothes as Mark kissed again, drawing him in close and pushing his tongue in past Jack’s lips to taste the inside of his mouth, wet and filthy. Their crotches brushed, sending an electric jolt through them both. Jack moaned right into their kiss. He rocked his hips forward, asking for more. Mark held Jack’s hips still and pulled away, leaving his hand to linger where Jack’s shirt lifted up slightly where the pale skin of his hips revealed.

“Your garments are very thin.”, Mark commented.

“Well, I was sleeping, Sir Mark. I don’t wear thick _garments_ when I sleep. Yes, even in winters”, Jack replied, a tone of humor in his voice.

Mark didn’t reply but removed the blanket that wrapped Jack, uncovering the length of Jack’s body from Mark’s gaze. Jack turned his head to avoid Mark’s sharp eyes. He was pretty sure that Mark could see his erection bulging from under his pajama pants.

“Don’t look away.”

Jack closed his eyes before turning his head back to face Mark. When he opened his eyes, Mark wasn’t smiling at him like he usually did but he had a different look on his face. Jack found pleasure in finding out the different sides of Mark. He had never been this curious about a person in his life before. Mark was making him crazy. The silent swept over them for a brief moment, just staring into each others' eyes.

Mark leaned down to kiss Jack again, more passionate this time. Jack wrapped his legs around Mark’s waist, then Mark ground down. Jack let out a whimper and turned his head to the side. Mark quickly slid his lips down, planted feather-like kisses along the line of Jack’s neck. He then lifted Jack’s shirt and trailed his fingers on the flat plane of Jack’s stomach. Jack wondered how Mark could keep up with the teasing when Jack himself lost all coherence in his brain. The only thing he could do was follow Mark’s rhythm. He clutched weakly at Mark’s upper arm, letting out breathy whimpers as Mark bit down on the vein on his neck. They kept a steady rhythm, but Mark started to grind faster and harder against his groin. It was too much for Jack.

“Jesus, fuck. Sir, I—“

Jack was babbling, back arched up of the mattress and hips jerking against Mark’s. His peak hit him like a crashing wave against the crag. Mark held Jack’s chin and turned his head to kiss him deeply. Mark’s tongue licked inside Jack’s mouth, drowning the sounds that were coming out of it. Mark released him when Jack came down from his high. He could feel Mark’s erection sitting heavy on his hipbone. But the man moved away and sat next to him instead.

“Mark—“

The red-haired man fixed his hair and cleared his throat. Jack reached out to hold Mark’s hand that was resting on the bed, but Mark suddenly decided to use it to fix the back of his hair.

“I will see you at the dining hall for breakfast, Jack.”

Mark stood up and walked out towards the door, Jack sat up at that.

“But, Sir—“ Mark closed the door before Jack had the chance to finish his sentence.

Jack tossed his body back on the bed. He let a long shaky breath, cursing to himself because he was such a virgin. Mark must have been disappointed; he didn’t even get to come. Jack quickly got up to clean himself up before he disappointed Mark more by being slow.

 

* * *

 

They didn’t talk much during breakfast, as if that morning in Jack’s room didn’t happen. Mark only asked him questions about the food. Jack only answered shortly, afraid of setting of the bomb between them. They always spent time together during the day, so Jack wondered and just had to ask.

“What are we doing today, Sir Mark?”

Mark didn’t look up from his plate to look at Jack when he answered. “I have something I have to take care of, Jack. I have to leave you to your own devices.”

“But, didn’t you do that yesterday? I want to spend the day with you.”

“Jack.” Mark actually looked at him now. “Don’t ever question what I do.”

Mark looked straight into Jack’s eyes then leaned closer to him before holding his chin. Mark’s hold on him was too hard. “I will come back. Don’t go anywhere.” Mark pulled Jack and kissed him harshly on his lips. The clacking sound of their teeth clashing echoed through the walls of the dining hall. Mark let him go shortly with a push.

Jack looked down at his food and let his head hang low.

“Answer me, Jack.”

“Yes, Sir Mark.”

“Good.”

The rest of breakfast was silent. Mark just left when he finished. He didn’t even bother to say a goodbye.

 

* * *

 

Jack stared at the jeans he wore the day before when he met Ash in that little village’s bar. He had been staying at Mark’s mansion for four days. Had Mark finally realised that he was boring and would ask him to leave soon? Why was he even sad about leaving? Was it because their little Endeavour earlier?

Jack took the phone out and scrolled through the articles Ash showed him. Could Mark be the one behind all those disappearance? He didn’t want to entertain that thought, but Jack knew investigators wouldn’t chase a story without any lead. Jack remembered Ash mentioned the mansion belonged to the _Junker_ family of Fischbach. He opened the phone’s browser and typed in ‘Mark Fischbach’ in the search engine but the results that came up were not satisfying nor did it help him figure anything out about Mark. He tried various keywords like adding the town’s name, Freiburg and typed in Fischbach castle in his search but he still couldn’t find anything about it. Jack decided he would help Ash’s investigation. If Mark wasn’t a good person and if Jack’s life was really in danger, then he would have a chance of getting out of town to reunite with Felix and the others again.

Jack left his room and looked around to check for any of Mark’s servants walking around. He sighed as he found that no one else was around at the moment. The mansion was massive. Jack didn’t know where he should start looking for Ava Scholz’s room, but he had to start somewhere. So, he headed to the part of the mansion where Mark had taken him to paint him. If Mark had something to hide, it would be somewhere not close to where he put his guests. The doors were too many and Jack wasn’t sure that opening them one by one was a good idea. He walked further away from the guest rooms’ wing and found that everything looked older along the direction he was heading. Jack stopped in his track when he saw a room that had double doors just like every other room but the doors were taller and bigger in size. He walked towards it and tried to open the door and just like he expected it was locked. Luckily, he brought a paper clip, thank Creator for those ‘making a lock pick’ YouTube videos. Jack fiddled around with the lock for a while; he smiled when he heard the satisfying click of the door being unlocked.

He opened the door slowly, hoping that it didn’t make any loud creaking noise. The room was empty, but it wasn’t as empty as the room he was in when he just arrived in the mansion. The bed was roughly the same size as the one in his room, but it had blue sheets. The valance covering the bed was also blue in colour. Jack then noticed that room was dominantly blue, not red or white like everything else in the mansion. He opened the wardrobe and was startled to find female gowns hanging inside.

“Ava Scholz, was this really your room?”, Jack whispered lowly to himself.

Various female beauty equipments were arranged orderly on the shelves inside the wardrobe. Jack took out his phone and took a photo of the wardrobe and everything inside it then closed the wardrobe. He walked to the vanity table and pulled the drawer out but couldn’t find anything particularly special in there. Jack took a photo of it anyway. Jack then investigated the drawers of the bedside table. The phone in his hand accidentally dropped when he was about to take a photo of the bedside table and its contents.

“Shit.”, Jack cursed to himself. He crouched down to pick up the phone and that was when his eyes caught something under the bed. Jack reached under the bed and recovered a box. He rummaged through it. It was mainly filled with old notes of science equations. Jack wished he was someone from the science department so he would understand what they meant. The last book had peach as its colour, different from the other books in the box that were brown. He opened it and gasped softly when he saw ‘ _AS’_ written in the right upper corner of the book. Could this have belonged to Ava Scholz? Jack opened the next page.

_Donnerstag, 25. August 1837_

The rest of the writings were in German. Once again, Jack was frustrated because he couldn’t speak German. He flipped through the pages and an old photograph fell on his lap. It was very old but still fairly clear. It was a photograph of a man and a woman lacing her arm with the man’s arm. The woman looked beautiful. Her hair seemed to be lighter than Jack’s real hair colour; she had a small waist and her hair was done up with a wide hat as the accessory. But what bothered Jack was, the man in the photo looked too much like Mark to not be him.

Jack knitted his eyebrows together. He couldn’t take a look of it in this room. So, Jack put the old peach book in the inner pocket of his jacket. He put everything back in the place he found them before and slid the box back under the bed. He quickly left the room and headed back to his own room.

 

* * *

 

The sound of his door locked comforted Jack slightly. Something was seriously wrong here. The man in the photograph was Mark, but it couldn’t be him. The photograph belonged to Ava Scholz and she lived in 1837. He nervously checked the date on the phone from Ash, it showed Thursday, December 7, 2016.

“Fuck, fuck. What the fuck is going on? Maybe I’m trippin’ balls.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

Jack jumped when he heard a knock on his door.

“Y-Yeah. Hang on.” Jack opened the door and saw one of Mark’s servants at his door. “What is it?”

The servant answered in very broken English. “Sir Mark want see you for supper when sun down.”

“Yeah. I’ll be there.”, Jack said, nodding to get the message across.

The servant nodded back at him then left.

Jack got the phone out of his pocket and texted Ash.

_I found something_

He sent the pictures of things that might have been Ava Scholz’s belongings to Ash. The reply came shortly after.

 

_AA:_

_I was right. I’ll think of a plan to apprehend the owner of the house and get you out of there._

Jack typed a reply.

_I found something else. But it’s in german, I don’t understand a single word._

_AA:_

_Send it to me. I’ll get it translated._

_But you have to send the translated version. I wanna know what I’m up against._

_AA:_

_Deal_

Jack got the peach book out and put it on the bed to take photos of it. He took photos of the first ten pages of the book.

_Hmu when it’s done. I’ll send you the rest._

 

_AA:_

_Received_

 

Jack took a deep breath. He closed the peach book and put it back in his inner jacket pocket. He needed to calm down. Jack reached for his backpack and fished out his earphones. Ash was very kind to give him a phone with an internet connection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, guys.  
> Forgive me for typing and grammatical mistakes. Don't be a silent reader! Hit me up with comments and kudos!


	5. So Into You, I Can Barely Breathe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more sexy time between the two. Reference used in writing the scene.

Mark didn’t talk to Jack at all during dinner. He didn’t even glance Jack’s way. The only thing that kept Jack grounded was how Mark seemed to move his chair closer to him than all the time they sat on that dining table. Jack wanted to speak up, to ask Mark what was going on, why Mark wasn’t talking to him but he couldn’t. He caught a look of uncertainty that didn’t suit the hard lines on Mark’s features. So Jack looked down and kept the silence hung heavy between them. Jack could feel the winter breeze chilling his bones through the cracks of the tall windows. He looked outside and could see nothing but deep darkness, and that when he thought of Ash’s words. Jack was alone with Mark in this house, he was isolated from the outer world that he was familiar with. Jack thought of the possibility of Mark harming him. Was there really something between him and Mark? If Mark was the one behind the disappearances in Black Forest, what was keeping him from inflicting the bad things he’d been doing on Jack?

Jack was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t notice Mark leaving the dining hall. The other man didn’t spare him any words. Only the tapping of his shoes indicated Jack that Mark didn’t want to be in his presence anymore. Jack finished up with his dinner and made his way back to his room, thinking maybe Ash had replied with the translations of the peach book.

Once Jack felt safe behind the door and walls of the room Mark lent him, he took out the phone that Ash gave him. He was disappointed when he saw that there were no replies from Ash yet. He was curious what the book was all about and why there was a photograph of Mark that could have been from 1837. Jack turned the phone off and slipped it back inside the jeans he wore the day he went out to the small village. He knew it was his only mean of communication to the outer world so he should preserve its battery life. Jack fell asleep to the static sounds of the storm hitting the mansion walls.

 

* * *

 

Jack opened his eyes half expecting Mark was next to him like he was yesterday, only to feel the pang of disappointment in his chest when he was met with the reality that was him laying alone on the crumpled white sheets. Jack quickly cleaned up and ran downstairs to follow on the daily breakfast schedule. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t startled when he found Mark standing at the foot of the stairs, grinning up at him like there was no heavy unspoken tension between them the day before.

“Good morning, fair traveler.”

“Mornin’, Sir. H-How—“

“The snow is covering our whole establishment, I don’t suppose we can go out today.”

Jack turned to look outside from the clear windows by the stairs, everything was blinding white. He felt unsettled to the fact that he felt an odd peacefulness. He quickly shook the feeling off and answered Mark.

“Yes, Sir. I-I can see that.”

“We will find something indoors to occupy us then.”

“What’s that, Sir?”

“No planning before breakfast, Jack. Come to the dining hall.”

Mark turned and walked ahead of him in a slow pace. Jack wanted to run to his hide and clutched his arm, but he swallowed the need. He followed Mark quietly instead.

Breakfast was pleasant. Mark was being the polite flattering gentleman like the way he was before the occurrence in Jack’s room yesterday morning. Mark looked different from Jack’s point of view. He looked better, younger than he had before, but maybe Jack was seeing things. He had been out of his barely together mind since he got here.

Mark took him to a different part of the mansion after they were done with their breakfast. Jack thought he was going to have a hard time remembering the directions in the mansion. He noted to himself that he should be more careful the next time he was sneaking around. Jack glanced at Mark and saw the genuine smile plastered across his face. The sudden guilt was not uncalled for, Mark had been nothing but pleasant and kind to him through the time Jack was here though the sickening voice in his head reminded him of Mark ignoring him through and through the day before.

“I do not know if you would find this entertaining, but there is not much to do inside.”, Mark told him.

Jack smiled at him. “I’m sure I’m gonna love it, Sir Mark.”

Mark smiled back. He then opened the set of white doors and revealed a library. Jack let his jaw fell in amazement. The room was grand, it kept the white and red theme of the house but everything seemed so much brighter. The shelves that contained what seemed to be millions of books were as tall as the ceiling. Sofas in soft red colours could be seen in almost every corner, but there was a large one in velvet red not far from a fireplace.

“Sir, this is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“I don’t know if you like to read, but I guess men were expected to read at a very young age.”

“Both men and women, Sir.”

Jack wandered around through the books. Mark seemed to have books in every language, some even in languages Jack had never heard existed before.

“Take some of your interest then come sit with me. I will prepare the fire for us.”

Jack nodded and started to look through the books and look the ones that were actually in English. He smiled when he found a copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He was so focused in skimming through the pages, he didn’t realise that Mark was standing not far from him.

“I’m sorry. I’ll just bring it to you.”

Mark threw him a smile and walked closer to him.

“What have you got there, Jack?”

“Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! Is this one of the original copies? It is dated way back on 1818!”

“Ah, yes. My father was particularly fond of Shelley’s work.”

Jack’s eyes widened in excitement. “That is so cool! All those horror script writers would be so jealous of me right now!”

Jack returned to the shelf to collect some more books to bring to the fireplace lounge. His eyes were scanning through Percy Shelley’s works when he felt Mark was standing really close to him. His body was a breath away from pressing up fully against Jack’s. Jack contemplated to duck and move away, but he closed his eyes instead when he felt Mark’s head dip down, the tip of his nose touched the back of Jack’s neck, his breath warming the sensitive skin there. Mark’s left hand was already gripping the shelf, brushing against his arm, and if Mark lifted his right hand to hold to shelf as well, Jack would be trapped.

“S-Sir Mark.”, Jack breathed out. He didn’t want to sound desperate but it seemed that he failed on that.

Jack felt Mark exhaled against him before placing his other arm on the shelf. Jack should be scared right now; he should run to his room, lock it and call Ash to pick him up. He shouldn’t risk being trapped by Mark’s hard body in a secluded library away from the servants, but the fear and the anticipation only fueled the fire humming under his skin.

Mark leaned forward, if he were nuzzling Jack’s neck before, he had switched to using his lips to map Jack’s nape.

“Oh God, Sir _Mark_...”

Jack had abandoned his fingers from a copy of _Ozymandias_ , he was gripping the shelf as well, his knuckles white as the abundance of snow outside their walls. And _Jesus, fuck_ Mark had closed the inch of space between them, a shiver ran through his skin like an electric jolt when their bodies were finally connected. Jack shifted to slot their bodies better, this made Mark let out a deep rumble, the sound made Jack unconsciously  arch back against him.

Mark tugged down Jack’s jumper further and pressed his lips to the crook of Jack’s neck, planting soft bites on his pulse while Jack writhed under him.

“I don’t think I can stop.”, Mark mumbled against the sensitive patch that was Jack’s neck. He let his right hand fell and wandered under the layers of Jack’s jumper and shirt, running his fingers over the heating warmth of Jack’s stomach.

“Then don’t. Please, don’t.”

Mark moved his mouth up from Jack’s neck through his jaw to find his lips. Jack turned his head to drag Mark’s head down for a kiss. It was all lips at first, because Jack’s head was reeling with endless scenarios on how this would end, but then their mouths slid together just right and Jack must have done something right with his tongue, and it was purely instinctive from there. Mark flipped him and slammed him up against the shelf, a few books made a thud as they fell from Jack’s weight and Mark’s force.

Jack laced his fingers through Mark’s hair and tugged on it, making him moan into Jack’s mouth. Mark’s hands slid down to palm his arse and snagged him up. It was so hot, so rousing, so wonderful that Jack forgave him all at once. Mark balanced him on the shelf closest to their level before sliding a hand between Jack’s legs, palming his straining erection. Jack broke off the kiss breathlessly, hips arching forward into Mark’s rough touch.

“Oh God, Mark.”, he whispered shakily and leaned forward to press their foreheads together. Jack caught Mark’s lust-blown eyes in mere seconds and fluttered them shut when Mark began dragging the heel of his hand up and and down the line of the bulge under his jeans, catching his breathy whimpers with kiss, unable to keep his lips away. But, suddenly Mark withdrew his hands and took him down from the shelf. Jack opened his heavy-lidded eyes, his legs felt like giving out from the utter pleasure he was receiving.

“M-Mark?”

Mark was still staring at him, eyes still the darkest shade of brown. To Jack, he didn’t look like someone who had lost interest, but then again he did that yesterday. He was confused as all hell, trying to wrap his head around the puzzle that was Mark.

“Sir Mark, wait. Please, don’t—“

Mark closed his eyes, slowing down his breaths before speaking up. “I have something I need—“

Jack figured he had to do something to make Mark stay. He wasn’t going to just lay there and do nothing like he did yesterday. Jack fell to his knees, ran his palm through the clear outline of Mark’s erection and leaned forward to nuzzle his nose against it, trying to convey how much he wanted Mark to stay. Mark moved back and Jack had thought he lost his chance for a second. “Bloody hell, Jack. The things you do, just drive me _insane—_ “

Mark pulled Jack back up to his feet and claimed his mouth in another kiss. He pushed Jack against the shelf again. Jack threw his head back, banging against another set of books. Mark’s hands roughly ran through his hair and tugged on it, just teetering on the side of pain. Jack moaned into Mark’s mouth and Jack could feel him _smile_. He thrusted against Jack’s hips, frantic and urgent. It wasn’t long until Jack was on the edge of his orgasm. He was ready for Mark to leave him again after this, leaving him to deal with his mess alone. Jack did not expect the pleasured deep moan from Mark, showing that Mark was also on the edge as well. The thought of them riding through their high together roused him. Jack was not ready to see Mark’s reddened face when he opened his eyes. Mark was still smiling at him, but with less of that tight posture he always had on. For once, Mark looked more _human_ than since Jack first set foot in the mansion.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kept you. I just—“

Mark lift his hand to caress Jack’s cheek. “I am glad that you did.”

Jack let out a relieved sigh and smiled. He couldn’t say anything, even if he wanted to he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to ruin the moment.

Mark moved away and Jack let his fingers lingered a little longer on his arm.

“We should get cleaned up. The washroom is just over there.”, Mark said, pointing at the washroom on the left corner of the library.

“Oh, okay. Then I guess—“

Mark held Jack’s chin and looked into his eyes. _Fuckin’ hell that smile_. “Then we’re going to finish the books you were going to read.”

Jack had tried to hide his surprise but it didn’t go unnoticed by Mark. Mark laughed.

“We’re going to spend the whole day in the library?”

“If that’s what you wish.”

“You’re not going to leave this time?”

“Why would I?”

Jack let out a laugh, a mixture of ecstasy and confusion.

“We’ll have dinner after. Then maybe...”

“Maybe?”

Mark raised his eyebrows in faux indifference. “Well, it’s going to be exceptionally cold tonight. Maybe I could help you to stay warm through the night.”

Jack smiled bashfully, trying to look anywhere but Mark.

“Hey.” Jack looked at him. “Don’t look away.”

“Yes, Sir Mark.”

 

* * *

 

It was already dark when Jack returned to his room. They finished their dinner that night and Mark would come to his room anytime soon. He never felt happier in his life before. His first love, his first real kiss, his first time. _Well,_ technically he hadn’t had his first _time_ yet but it was close enough, maybe tonight.

Jack checked the phone he got from Ash and found that the other replied with the translations that he asked for.

_AA:_

_This was Ava Scholz’s diary. Mainly about her life when she started to move in after she was betrothed to the last Fischbach heir._

 

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. _Okay_ , so maybe it wasn’t as scary as he thought it was. He opened the files attached to the message and started reading.

_Thursday, 25. August 1837_

_Today I just moved in to the Fischbach Villa. Everyone is so nice! They give me a room that has our family’s house colour. I cannot wait to meet the youngest Fischbach. Everyone said he is very well educated, handsome and a gentleman! I am such a lucky lady._

_Tuesday, 30. August 1837_

_It has been almost a week and I haven’t met my future husband yet! This is a disaster! Everyone is so nice but I really want to see the man I am going to spend my whole life with!_

_Saturday, 3. September 1837_

_I have met my husband-to-be! He is as charming and presentable as they said he was! How could I be this lucky? Thank you, Heavens!_

_Wednesday, 7. September 1837_

_Mark Edward Fischbach is such—_

 

Jack’s breath hitched in his throat. _Mark Edward Fischbach_? So the man in the picture really was Mark? He had been around since 1837? But, this must be a mistake, maybe they just had the same name. Jack quickly scrolled through the attachments, all of them were about the things Ava did with the Fischbach family, nothing really answered his questions concerning Mark. _There’s gotta be more_ , Jack thought. He quickly took the peach book out, took photos of them and sent them to Ash.

 

_Nothing really useful yet. These are more pages._

 

A knock on Jack’s door made him drop the peach book and the phone to the floor. “Shit.”, Jack mumbled quietly.

“Jack? Can I come in?”

“Y-Yeah, sure. Wait up.”, Jack answered. He quickly stashed the peach book back under the mattress and the phone back inside the pocket of his jeans. He walked quickly to open the door for Mark, hoping he didn’t look nervous or like he was hiding something.

“Are you fine? You look slightly disheveled.” _Fuckin’ hell._

“N-No, I’m fine. Come in.”

Jack stepped away from the door and Mark let himself in. Jack let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in, moved closer to Mark and hung his arms loosely around Mark’s neck.

“Are you sure? I do not want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Jack forced a smile. “I’m sure. So what do you have in mind?”

Mark leaned down to kiss Jack before closing the door behind them, locking them in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God, Mark. Just how old are you really, man? And why you keep on tryna run away when you gon' come?
> 
> As usual, guys. I apologise for any spelling and grammar mistakes. Don't be a silent reader. Leave me comments and kudos! Thanks!


	6. Touch Me With Slow Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not many plot advancing, just some more sexy time between two. I promise, next chapter we'd find out more ;)  
> Reference used in writing the scenes.

Jack pulled away to stare at Mark. Mark was only wearing a loose dress shirt and light grey pants, he wasn’t wearing high boots but a shiny pair of leather shoes as substitute. The buttons on his sleeves were undone, letting Jack’s vision scan over the tanned skin hidden under the fabric. Mark was making him lose his mind. He really, really should think this through, but thinking seemed to be the hardest thing to do when Mark was taking his presence up and down, staring at him with cat-like eyes. Those dark eyes slightly turned softer, washing Jack with masked concern.

“Are you alright?”

Jack inhaled deeply. “I’ll be fine.”

Mark reached out his hand to touch Jack’s cheek, Jack unconsciously leaned to the touch. “Tell me. What is it that makes you uneasy?”

“I-I’ve never done this before...”, Jack stuttered in a soft voice.

“Being intimate with a man?”

“W-With anyone.”

Mark turned Jack’s head to look him in the eyes then leaned down and kissed Jack softly on his lips.

“You do not want to have your first intercourse with me?”

Jack widened his eyes and shook his head briskly. “No, it’s not that at all. It just, makes me nervous, is all.”

Mark let out an amused laugh. “You are one of kind, Jack.”

“I mean, you’re so perfect and I’m so basic. How is it possible for me to forget it?”

“You are saying that you want to forget this?” Mark scrunched his eyebrows together. Jack could see a sliver of rage behind his dark eyes.

“No! No! I’m sorry, it’s just my insecurity acting up.”

Mark calmed himself down with a long breath. “You are for me. You do not deserve anything less.”

Jack didn’t reply Mark’s words, he wasn’t sure what to say. He was confused, afraid and worst of all, he could be feeling something for Mark, something beyond physical attraction or a short-lived limerence. He was afraid when the time to choose to run away from Mark or to stay with him, he wouldn’t think twice to choose to stay.

“Darling.” Mark called to him, his eyes searching Jack’s. Jack looked at him, feeling the weight of Mark’s gaze on him. “Do not disappear into your head. I’m here. Look at me.”

Jack bit his lips and closed his eyes before opening them again and looked into Mark’s eyes. “I’m scared, Mark. I’m so scared, I feel helpless.”

Mark took Jack’s head in his hands and cradled him to the crook of his neck. “I will not let anything harm you, Jack. You are safe here, with me.”

Jack nodded weakly, trying to swallow the tears that threatened to fall down from feeling helpless and afraid.

“It seems that we have to change tonight’s plan then.”

“No, no! Please don’t go, don’t leave me here alone.”

Mark kissed the top of Jack’s hair. “I am not going anywhere.” He let go of Jack ‘s head but took his hand to drag him to the bed. “Come to bed.”

Mark’s grip was light and barely there but he smoothed his thumb across Jack’s knuckles every now and then so Jack felt more relax and content to follow him quietly, his heart was doing something silly in his rib-cage. Mark stopped when they were right next to the bed, Jack’s legs touching the side of the mattress. Mark then turned them so the back of Jack’s knees were the ones touching the bed. Their bodies were pressed close, the warmth that seemed to always radiate from Mark’s body cut down the icy breeze that seeped through the cracks of the room.

“We have all the time in the world. We will do this at your pace, Jack.”

“But—“ Mark’s forefinger touched Jack’s lips, stopping him from saying anything anymore. His other hand traveled slowly along the curve of Jack’s back down to his waist, to his upper thighs. “May I have the honor?”

Jack couldn’t trust his voice so he just nodded and Mark smiled. Jack stood still and allowed himself to slowly be stripped, one article of clothing at a time. Mark deftly maneuvered his arms for him through the sleeves of his jumper, followed a moment later by his shirt. They held eye contact throughout the entire process, Jack’s head was tilted back slightly so he could look at Mark and only losing sight of him once it came to pull his shirt over his head for a brief moment. Jack felt Mark took sight of his exposed upper body, fighting the urge to hide, to take cover because he wanted to do this.

Jack took the initiative to step out of his sneakers, kicking them aside while Mark’s fingers fumbled with the button of his jeans. Suddenly, Jack remembered that he had the phone from Ash in his pocket then covered Mark’s hands with his own to stop him from feeling the phone in his pocket.

“I-I’ll take this one off myself.”

There was a pause before Mark said, “If you wish.”

Jack  quickly unbuttoned his jeans then stepped out of them, kicking them away to join his sneakers not too far from where they were standing. Jack followed Mark’s gaze down to his feet that were still covered with socks. Mark bent down and helped Jack get rid of his socks. He, then straightened slowly, fingers skimming up the sides of Jack’s thighs and hips, eyes following of goosebumps that followed. Jack shivered when Mark reached his ribs, sucking in a small breath when Mark’s gaze flickered up to meet his own again.

“Beautiful and mine, all mine. Say that you’re mine.”, Mark told him, a hint of command in his voice but it didn’t scare Jack at all. “I’m yours, all yours.”

Jack couldn’t tell why he agreed to let Mark claim him as his own, Jack told himself it was the spur of the moment when everything seemed perfect and in that moment all Jack wanted was to be Mark’s.

“You truly are lovely”, Mark murmured as he brushed across Jack’s shoulders, and he sounded so much older that it made chills ran down Jack’s spine. Jack was blushing both from the praise and from the fact that he was standing in front of Mark almost fully naked, except for his briefs while Mark was still fully dressed.

“Your turn, Sir”, Jack suggested, his voice breathy but steady, and got to work on returning the favour.

Jack started with Mark’s dress shirt, leaning in to press a light kiss at the small hollow beneath Mark’s throat and between his collar bones before pulling the shirt away and letting it fall to the side. Mark was not much taller than him, but his shoulders were broader than his own, arms and chest more muscled and toned. His complexion was flawless, all tanned skin free of scars. Jack traced his fingers along the curve of Mark’s shoulder where it met his back, but then dropped his hands down to fumble with the ties at the front of Mark’s trousers. He had to look down to see what he was doing, and with the two of them standing as they were, Jack’s nose was nearly brushing against Mark’s chest. He took a slow, deep breath in, Mark’s scent flooding his senses; plain soap, the forest, a hint of the winter breeze, and something that was distinctly _Mark_ , reminded him how they were world’s apart. The ties loosened, Jack slid his hands down flat against Mark’s hips, chasing the feeling of his skin and slipping them underneath the waistband of Mark’s pants and gently tugging everything down to pool at Mark’s leather shoes.

Jack sunk down to one knee in front of him, tilting his head back to smile up at Mark with hooded eyes. Mark remained standing straight, but exhaled a juddering breath when Jack breathed lightly on the thickening cock still covered with fabric that he was currently eye-level with. His own cock is turgid and heavy between his legs, arousal pulsing through him in gentle streams at the slow pace they were taking. He continued to help Mark out of his shoes, pushing them aside and banishing Mark’s pants too, so that now he was no longer alone in the nude. Jack appreciated the endless honey-coloured skin before him.

“You’re amazing.”, Jack said, nuzzling his face against the skin of Mark’s thigh, and smiling again when he heard Mark took a particularly sharp breath. He turned his head sideways, so that he was face-to-face with Mark’s definitely-interested cock. “And so are you.”

Mark chuckled. “Jack," he warned, but Jack was pleased to notice that his voice wasn’t as stern as he probably wanted it to be.

“I could stay down here if you want.”, Jack offered, his fingers fumbled against the tightening of Mark’s underwear.

Mark wavered for a moment, one hand sliding through Jack’s hair, tugging slowly but sharply. It felt so good that Jack nearly moaned. “No.”, Mark said after a moment, bending to bring Jack back up to his feet. “I have other things in mind.”

“Do you?”, Jack asked, swaying slightly, but then Mark kissed him again, drawing him close and pushing his tongue in past Jack’s lips to lick at the inside of his mouth. Mark pulled Jack’s briefs down in one swift movement, and then his own followed. They separated momentarily to step away from the last layer of their clothing. Their cocks brushed then Mark tipped him back onto the bed, giving him half a moment to scoot backwards before following, hovering his stature over Jack’s. Jack moved to roll over, so Mark didn’t have to look at him but Mark stopped him, keeping him on his back and saying. “No, Jack.”

Jack made a small, involuntary sound when Mark parted his legs, moving in to kneel between them while holding them splayed apart wide, exposing every last inch of Jack to his sharp glinting eyes. Jack’s cock was fully hard now, pressed up against his belly and leaking, feeling a little helpless where he lied on his back while Mark gripped his legs firmly. He dragged Jack down the bed and closer to him, drawing him up until Jack was nearly bent in half, hitching Jack’s legs up over his shoulders. Jack could only fist his hands into the sheets and screamed when Mark’s head dipped down below his cock and balls to lick his hole, hands holding Jack’s thighs in place.

“M-Mark”, Jack stammered when Mark did it again, probing his tongue around Jack’s clenching hole before licking across it, the touch so foreign and intimate that Jack felt lightheaded. Mark pushed his tongue into Jack, and Jack lost the last of his coherency. His legs locked down around Mark’s shoulders even as he squirmed, unable to stay still as Mark lapped at him, fucking him with his tongue. Jack didn’t know what he wanted more, to pull Mark’s face down as much as possible so that he could get his tongue inside him deeper, or to escape the overwhelming, wet and sloppy touch entirely as it threatened to take him apart, undo him completely.

Mark laved his hole mercilessly, smearing as much saliva on as he could, getting Jack nice and wet. Jack felt himself clench down, aching for more, his need for Mark’s hot, hard cock filling him to bursting so strong now that his moan trailed off into a helpless whimper, hands scrabbling on the bed mindlessly while over Mark’s shoulders in the air, his toes curled tightly.

“Oh, God. Oh, God. Fuck. _Oh—“_ Mark gave him one last lick, pressing an obscene, open-mouthed kiss right against Jack’ hole with a loud, wet sucking noise and Jack came with a cry, striping white come across his own chest as he flew apart, crashing over the edge of orgasm by Mark’s tongue alone.

Jack felt Mark was ready to leave him again, but Mark really had something else in his mind as he flipped their position so Jack was the one sitting down instead of him.

“Can you tell what I want you to do? You have offered so many times.”, Mark said, looking at him with hungry eyes.

Jack nodded timidly. He had no experience in sucking cock at all, but he wasn’t going to let Mark down.

“Good. We can still go with your pace.”

Jack moved so he was face-to-face with Mark’s cock again. His breath rushed against Mark’s cock, and before long, Jack was working his mouth up the vein on the underside of Mark’s cock. He vaguely heard Mark breathing out _Yes_ before he said, “Take me in your mouth. Mind your teeth.”

He engulfed Mark in his hot, wet mouth, his tongue tentatively working over the flesh, lips testing and savoring and wrapping hesitantly around the head. Mark reached out his hand to pull on Jack’s hair, the gesture encouraged Jack to do more. He was less hesitant now. His technique was amateurish but no one could fault his enthusiasm.

“Deeper”, Mark whispered. “And suck.”

Mark’s cock bumped the back of Jack’s throat, and then Jack hollowed his cheeks as instructed, sucking hard. Mark moaned, his breath actually stuttered and Jack noticed, immediately repeated it, earning another growled out moan.

“Relax, Jack. Breathe.”

Jack relaxed his throat and kept on sucking, his jaw was starting to hurt. Jack internally cursed his inexperience. Mark was thrusting too hard now, too fast. He was definitely fucking Jack’s face now, there was simply no other way to put it. With a mumbled growl, Mark yanked Jack’s head close on the last thrust, forcing Jack’s face down until his nose was buried in the thatch of curls at Mark’s crotch. Mark held him there for long seconds as he came, and Jack had no choice but to hold his breath and swallow all of his come.

Mark let Jack go and dragged him up so they were tangled together, Mark’s arm were around Jack’s back. Mark planted a soft kiss on Jack’s cheek before asking him, “Everything alright?”

Jack nodded and managed to breathe out, “Yes, Sir.” He fell asleep not long after.

 

* * *

 

Jack woke up in the morning only to find that Mark was no longer on his bed, he sat up to look for Mark’s clothes that was also no longer there. Jack laid back down and let out a long sigh. The slight warmth on the bed made him feel better that maybe Mark didn’t leave him long before he woke up. Jack stood up and felt the stickiness all over him, he smiled as the memory of last night washed over him.

Jack walked to his jeans to check his phone. He was shocked to find it no longer in his pocket. He frantically searched around the room for the phone. He looked under the bed, under the mattress, in the drawers and wardrobe. He was perplexed when he found it inside his backpack. Jack was sure he had put the phone in his pocket and not his backpack. Did Mark take a look at the phone? He turned the phone on and saw few unread messages from Ash. Jack sighed in relief, so Mark didn’t open the messages from Ash.

The messages contained few attached files and one text from Ash.

 

_AA:_

_Look for the room where Mark Fischbach keeps his paintings._

 

Jack stared at Ash’s text questioningly. What could be so special about the room where Mark kept his paintings? He didn’t want to let Mark down, especially after Mark was being so amazing to him last night, but curiosity got the best of him. Jack was going to look for the painting gallery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind notes and comments, guys! Once again, I apologise for typing and grammatical errors. Don't be a silent reader! All feedbacks are appreciated!


	7. Love Can Build A House or Sink A Dead Body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys. So this is the chapter where Jack finds out everything about Mark. Before you read it, I want you guys to know that I do not know anything about Mark's family, and I'm sure they are lovely, lovely people. Also there is racism against a particular race in this chapter and I want you to know that I do not share that view. Whatever's written in this chapter about Mark's family are completely fictional and it is not my opinion about them nor about mixed-race people because I am also a mixed-race person. This might be sensitive to some, but I hope it shows why the Mark in this story is fucked up.
> 
> Proceed!

How was Jack going to find where the gallery was? He should’ve asked Mark for _tour de manoir_ , but Mark most likely would reject it. He was also going to spend the day with Mark. He could try and explore at night time, but he didn’t really appreciate the darkness. As much as he liked the Black Forest and Freiburg’s atmosphere, Mark’s mansion made him feel unsettled.

Jack opened the text from Ash’s and read Ava’s translated diary. Most of them just told how amazing Mark treated her and that she was finally going to have her fairy-tale ending, until Jack found something slightly different.

_Wednesday, 17. November 1837_

_Today, Mark told me something terrifying. I always knew that people never really liked the Fischbach family, but I never thought that they treated Mark that way. Now that I think about it, Mark doesn’t really tell me anything personal. Up until now, I still don’t know what his favourite food is or if he really likes me at all. I need to find out more before I get deeper into the Fischbach business, because if I’m going to bear a Fischbach heir, I will never let my child be treated in such terrible way._

 

 _What the fuck was going on,_ Jack thought to himself. He continued to the next page of Ava’s diary which was the last page she’d written in the peach book, his heart racing with anticipation and slight fear of what the lord of the house really was.

 

_Monday, 3. January 1838_

_This is the last time I am setting foot in the Fischbach Villa, Mark told me he’s going to do something that he won’t be able to undo by the end of winter. He told me I shouldn’t be around when he does it. Maybe he won’t be able to live with what he’s going to do, and I feel nothing but remorse for him by that. He’s going to live with his mistake for a very, very long time. I didn’t question him, he doesn’t like it when people question his decisions. It is only fair. People had treated him inhumanely all his life. Mark is a gentleman, he’s been raised to be that, he’s very well-educated and he doesn’t deserve the abuse. I used to wonder why he never wanted to leave the mansion, but now I know just exactly why. Mark told me that he must be living in the wrong generation because he really doesn’t fit in in the society we live in now. He’s been nothing but amazing to me. I love him, I always will and I hope he will find happiness someday. I had thought that it would be with me, but now I know it’s not going to be that way. I’d be eternally grateful to the person that can make him happy._

_Ava Scholz-Fischbach_

Confused, Jack put the phone down and massaged his temples. He should have known that a luxurious mansion hidden in the woods screamed bad news. He cursed himself for being so desperate that he jumped into bed with someone that could potentially be the last person that see him alive. Jack yelped when he heard someone knocked on his room door. Right, it’s breakfast time, Jack reminded himself. He had to act like everything was still the same as tomorrow. Well, everything could still be the same as tomorrow, the man that Ava wrote about could be someone else with the same name. A nagging voice in his head added, _and the same face?_ He just shook the thought off of his head and quickly clean up and change for breakfast.

 

* * *

 

They were sitting comfortably on the velvet sofa in the library, or Jack tried so hard to make himself seem comfortable. He was reading _Adonaïs_ with his head rested on Mark’s shoulder, Mark had one arm wrapped around Jack, his fingers tracing lazily along Jack’s chest. His eyes was glued on _Die Discourse der Mahlern_ by Bodmer that he held in his other hand.

Jack put the book down and let out a sigh. He let his gaze roamed the library, the room seemed to be the only place beside the room he sleep in that he felt peaceful in. He closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of Mark’s touch on him, even if he was threatened by the prickling fear under his skin he couldn’t lie to himself that he wanted Mark to not be a bad person, that he wasn’t going to kill him.

“Tell me about your people, Jack,” Mark suddenly broke the silence.

“What do you mean?,” Jack asked. Mark’s question should have confirmed his suspicions in a way, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“The people you see everyday, the people you greet on your way to work, your neighbours, and anyone you know back home,” Mark didn’t look away from the book in his hand.

“I don’t really greet people when I go to work. I work as an editor in an online videos company, very geeky I know. My co-workers are very nice, though. Mostly they just get out of my way, I guess they know I don’t really like to be bothered,” Jack explained, suddenly missing all the normalcy and routine.

“What is a _video_?”

“A moving picture or a short film, I guess. I don’t really know how to explain it,” Jack laughed. “Never really had to.”

“A moving picture? That is, really interesting.” Jack nodded in reply.

“Tell me about your friends, Jack. I want to know,” Mark had his fingers wrapped around Jack’s wrist now, his grip was a bit strong.

“We have like this small group of people, we all work in the same company. There’s Felix, he’s the one closest to me, the one that actually dragged me out of the house to hang out and stuff. He works in gaming with this other guy in our group called Ken. Then there’s Marzia, she’s Felix’s girlfriend, very sweet but bad-ass though. She works in women section, mainly managing the ones about women’s rights and equality, no one messes with her,” Jack paused and glanced at Mark to see his response. Mark was no longer reading the book, he was now staring at Jack as he told the story. Jack smiled when he caught Mark’s eyes. “Then there’s Ryan and Matt, they’re our newest addition, Ryan is very funny and Matt is just really gullible but really, really responsible; I don’t even know how that works. They both work in the social section, like public control or something. I don’t really know—,” Jack suddenly stopped and let out a sigh.

“What’s the matter, darling?”

“I just hoped I hadn’t lost my phone. They must be worried sick about me right now.”

“They will be fine, Jack. They will move on.”

Jack scoffed,”No, Mark. Oh God, I hope they don’t call, like, the National Guard or something. That’d be fucked up.”

There was no reply to that, Mark had returned to bury his nose in the book he picked. Typical Mark, shutting off every time Jack talked about leaving or talking to someone else other than him. They continued reading in silence, Mark didn’t initiate conversations anymore but didn’t push him away either. Jack couldn’t wait to find out more about Mark.

 

* * *

 

They spent the day riding bicycles in the house. Jack had protested, but Mark only laughed at that. They actually had a lot of fun that Jack had forgotten about Ava’s diary for a while, until dinner time came. Mark had instructed all the servants to go back to their houses and Jack was reminded that he was alone with Mark. If they were in honeymoon Jack would be really thrilled, but the thrill he was feeling now was far from that kind.

Jack found Mark staring at the fireplace in the sitting room in the main hall. He sat beside Mark and cuddled himself under Mark’s arm.

“You alright, Sir?”

“Yes, I just have something in my mind.”

Mark turned to Jack and smiled. “Not something for you to worry about, Darling.” He leaned down to kiss Jack softly on his lips. The gentle kiss escalated into a hotter, sloppier one. Mark had Jack under him on the sofa with his legs around Mark’s waist. Mark pulled away and locked his eyes with a panting Jack.

“I want to paint you in this state”, he blatantly told Jack.

Jack giggled, “Well, I don’t think I can stay in this state for hours, Sir.”

“I will find a way to make you that way then.”

Jack blushed. Mark really had his ways to get under Jack’s skin and Jack would let him do it to him repeatedly. Suddenly, the thought of Ava’s diary and Ash’s request to find the gallery invaded his head again.

“Did you find out who the man at your door the other day was?” Jack asked. He knew he was changing the subject and ruining the moment, but he just couldn’t help it. Curiosity always got the best of him.

“Yes, it was taken care of,” Mark answered flatly, the sound of his voice showed his dislike on Jack changing the topic.

“Who was it?”

“A foreigner. He was trespassing on private property.”

Jack made a face. “But I’m a foreigner who's trespassing on private property.”

“Yes, but you didn’t try to force your way into someone's residence.”

Jack looked away, Mark was right. He hoped Mark didn’t do anything bad to the person. If only he knew more about Mark.

“It’s getting colder. We should go to bed,” Mark said. He stood up, took Jack’s hand and dragged him to Jack’s bedroom.

Jack fell asleep with Mark’s chest to his back and Mark’s arm rested on his belly. The feeling of content and fear mixed, giving him a new feeling that he could get high on.

 

* * *

 

It was still dark when Jack suddenly got woken up from his slumber. Mark was not laying on the space beside him. Jack took a deep breath before getting off the bed, putting on his sneakers and taking the phone to help him see. It was time to explore around the mansion. Jack slowly opened the door and peeked outside. It was very dark and quiet, too quiet that it wasn’t normal. Jack looked at the tall windows and saw the light snow falling outside the mansion.

He started walking to the part of the mansion where Ava’s room was. He walked further, further away that he could no longer recognise the mansion. Jack never thought once in his life that he would be walking around in an old mansion in the middle of the night. Jack figured out the mansion’s pattern, that every two or three meters there would be a small hallway leading to where the rooms are, a little bit designed like an old hotel. One of the hallways had a door on it, making it look as if it was a room but Jack was sure that his conjecture was right so he approached it and turned the knob to open it. The sound of the hinge made Jack cringe, he hoped it wouldn’t wake whatever scary thing behind the door was.

He was right, it was a hallway behind the door and not a room. The next thing Jack realised was that there were portraits hanging on the wall. Jack shone his flashlight to each one of them. The first one he recognised as Ava Scholz; blonde hair, blue eyes, narrow waist and facial features that of a supermodel’s. There was a small note written on a gold plate under the portrait.

 _Liebste Ava Zilke Scholz_. _Oktober 1837_

Jack stared at it in awe, he might’ve only saw Mark’s painting once but he was pretty sure that it was done by him. He continued to walk and shone his phone on the other portraits. Jack could tell that all of them were done by Mark. They were all beautifully done, if not for the fact that most of them were torn apart making the people in them barely recognisable. Jack was fully scared now, he was staring up at a portrait of a pale ginger woman with a tear at the neck and a dagger stuck on her chest. Jack came closer to examine the dagger, he gasped and stumbled backward when he found that the dagger was rusty and smeared with dried blood. Jack took a deep breath to gather his courage and went to the next painting. By the last painting he was shivering, feeling his knees were about to give out due to continuous shaking. All of the paintings were torn apart except the one of Ava. They were all dated differently, the last painting was dated as 1998, the blade stuck on it was not as rusty as the others so Jack took it and slipped it in his jacket pocket. He was grateful that at least he wasn't unarmed now.

At the end of the hallway was a slightly ajar door. Jack could see the light from candles coming out of the crack of the door. He pushed it open slowly, praying haltingly in his head that Mark wasn’t there. There was no sign of anybody inside, but Jack was startled by the things he saw in the room. The room seemed to be an old workshop with many jars that contained human’s organs, mostly the organs that could be seen from the outside such as eyes, skin, a human scalp with ginger hair on it, and many more features that were features of a person from a Caucasian race.

“What the actual fuck,” Jack whispered.

There was a large table in the middle of the room, papers with old faded writings and drawing were scattered messily on the table. Jack walked closer to the table and scanned the papers. It seemed to be theories and formulas on human experiments. His phone was sitting on the corner of the table, so Mark did take his phone. He pocketed his phone in his pajama pants, then continued to go through the papers. Jack was rummaging through them to find something that he could understand when he heard a clatter sound. He snapped his head to look around when he saw Ash strapped to a padding that could pass as a bed, a few more of those not far from where Ash was.

“Ash?” Jack quickly walked towards the man.

“So you have met him, the foreigner who was trespassing in my property and took your belonging,” Mark’s voice froze Jack’s whole being. He turned slowly to see Mark standing stiffly with a shiny silver dagger in his hand.

“Sir Mark? Took my belonging? What do you mean?”

“Your _phone_. I thought you were different, but it turned out you want to bring me down, just like everyone else.”

“My ph-?! No, it’s not that. You have to understand, I’ve been here for more than a week. You can’t keep me here forever!”

“You want to be here. You stay by your own free will.”, Mark took two steps closer to Jack, Jack took one step backwards before his back hit the rusty metal railings next to the bed which Ash was strapped on.

“Then I want to leave now!”

“I’m afraid you can’t do that now, Jack.”

“No! Please, no! I don’t want to die!”

Mark didn’t take another step closer to Jack, but he circled Jack instead like a wolf stalking his prey. He laughed, the deep sound sent uneasiness down Jack’s spine. “I am not about to kill you, Jack. I don’t want you to leave. You’re mine, you said so yourself.”

Jack felt so trapped, cold sweats ran down his back despite the chilly temperature. “I-I found Ava Scholz’s diary...”

Mark raised his eyebrows, a sly smirk on his lips. “Did you now?”

“What are you? How old are you?”

“I am a half-breed, a sin, a disgrace to the family; the unwanted child.”

Jack stared at Mark questioningly, just what did Mark have to go through?

“A child born from a woman of the lower race. My father made a mistake, he made two mistakes: my brother and I. They sent my mother and my brother away, but the youngest son is next in line to be the Lord of the House so they had to keep me alive. They punished my father for it, pressuring him to develop the cure for my _condition_ to keep the purity of the family. He couldn’t do it,” Mark halted his steps, his fist clenching and opening trying to keep himself in line. “He couldn’t change the fact that I am short and wimpy, but he raised me well, he raised me into a gentleman. The family said I could be a good Fischbach Lord if  I didn’t look,” Mark gestured to himself from head to toe, “like _this_.”

Jack took one step to Ash’s direction, he pulled out the dagger in his jacket pocket slowly when Mark was facing the other way. He quickly hid it behind him to conceal it from Mark’s view.

“He kept on failing, though. The townspeople looked down on us because of me, because I am not normal. Day by day, mails came in threatening to take down our family if they announce me as the Lord of the House. This pushed him over the edge, he fell ill and passed away not long after, leaving me all alone in a world I don’t fit in. Then they decided to find me a wife, so the disgraceful genetic would be cleansed and make our son the next Lord instead of me, but it turned out that Ava could not bear a child. My distant uncle took over me, he almost succeeded in making me normal. He managed to change my hair pigment, even though it looked far from normal. Days, months they kept on making me their subject, until one day they did something that changed me. They engineered my genes so that I would age really, really slow. They laughed at me, delighted at the fact that I am going to suffer from my ab-normalcy for centuries.”

As Mark rambled on with his story, Jack tried his hardest to breathe as calmly as possible. He kept on scooting to Ash slowly, and used the dagger to cut Ash’s restrains even though the other man was unconscious. He would wake him up and they could run away from this place straight after. Mark was playing with the knife in his hand now, flipping it back and forth as he continued on with his story.

“So I told Ava to leave the mansion and killed them all,” Mark laughed. He turned and looked at Jack, “You know I actually thought I was free from the curse. I left the mansion, but I got beaten up repeatedly. Every time someone saw me, the first thing they did was kicked me and threw punches at me. I kept on walking but decided I could be dead if I continued on, so I came back to try and find my cure. How many years has it been?”

Mark stepped closer to Jack, closing the remaining distance between them and tangled his finger on the hair at the back of his head. “Two hundred and five years and no results. I’ve killed and gutted so many people to achieve that _normalcy_ , still no results. I still look like _this_ , and then there’s you. Do you know what you’re doing to me? You are so proud to be different, you do not care what other people think about you. How can you do that?”

Jack was really afraid now, because Mark was so close to him with his blade pressed  to his side while talking like a madman. “Self-acceptance. People sell a lot of book about that, maybe you should go out and expand your knowledge instead of living like this.”

Mark laughed loudly, the sound rang through Jack’s ear, making him wince. “I will not let people lay their hands on me to hurt me, _never_ again. I am safe behind the walls of this mansion.” He then turned and walked a few steps away from Jack.

“You have really lost your mind, Mark,” Jack sighed internally when he finally cut down all of Ash’s restrains.

“Have I?”

Jack then furiously shook Ash to wake him up. He glanced at Mark to see what the man was doing, and he seemed to be doing something on the table. Jack turned to Ash and slapped him hard, Ash gasped loudly as he became conscious.

“Jack?”

“Arsehole, what the fuck did you do that get you caught, and you fucking took my phone?!"

"I didn't _take_ your phone! I found it when I was scouting the mansion, Jack."

"What?! Whatever, explanations later. We have to go!”

Jack held Ash’s wrist and ran to make their way out of the house before Mark could get his hands on them. They ran through the long hallways, breathing heavily. Jack scrunched his face when he couldn’t hear Mark chasing after them. Was he really that scared to get out that he let them out just like that? Jack had thought Mark didn’t want him to leave. Mark might be entirely bonkers but it didn’t change the fact that he fell in love with him. They ran down the steps of the stairs, the main door was just a few steps away from them. They reached the door and Jack flung them open, the freezing wind rushed into the house.

“Come on, Ash!”

“I don’t think he’s chasing us.”

“We still have to get the fuck out of here!”

Jack pulled Ash by his wrist again to get them as far away from the mansion as possible. It wasn’t even two feet from the main door when Jack saw the shiny blade that Mark held earlier planted in Ash back. Jack screamed as he watched Ash fell to the ground, his blood painted the white snow red, how ironic.

Jack had lost his ability to move, he just stared at Ash’s body in utter horror. He heard the calm sound of Mark’s shoes hitting the floor from behind him, but he didn’t even flinch. Mark approached him, fuming rage painted his expression.

"He was going to take you away, from _me_. _Nobody_ takes what's mine."

Jack looked at Mark and he cried, he was so scared, he knew he was next. Mark bent down to pull the blade out of Ash’s back, the squishy sound of flesh fueled Jack’s fear to no end. He saw Mark smeared the blood all over his right hand then brought it up to Jack’s fear to smear them all over Jack’s mouth and chin.

“Red looks really good on you,” Mark commented before leaning to kiss Jack’s blood-covered lips. Jack moaned and that was when he knew he, _himself_ , was also far from sane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there you guys go! What do you think? Please share your opinions in the comments! Also the next chapter is where the freak show (bdsm) going to start, just a warning ^^  
> As usual, I apologise for any typing and grammatical mistakes. Don't be a silent reader, guys. All feedbacks are appreciated!


	8. I'm Fucked Up, I'm Black and Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys. If you've been following this story for a while, I've made some minor changes in the previous chapters to fix some of the unexplained little things. You can check it out or just continue, either way enjoy this one!

The cold breeze passed through them as Mark kissed him hard and deep, the taste of blood made Jack’s head spun, his pants suddenly felt too tight. Mark’s hand grabbed his arse, crashing their crotches together and Jack moaned into their kiss. Jack pulled away from the kiss and let his head fall to rest on Mark’s shoulder, his breathing stuttered. Mark trailed biting kisses along the side of his neck as he ground their bodies together.   _Something is seriously wrong with me_ , Jack thought. Mark had just killed a man, his only ticket of getting out of Mark’s grasp, he shouldn’t be grinding against Mark like he did right now. _I have to save myself, before it’s too late_ , he said to himself. Jack’s thought scattered when Mark’s warm hand went under his shirt, the pleasant feeling of warmth against his skin made him sigh and forget what he should do.

Mark used his other hand to tip Jack’s face, staring into his eyes before diving in for another hungry kiss, Mark’s tongue went past Jack’s chattering teeth and caressed his frozen one. Mark let go of their kiss, Jack desperately clutched at  Mark’s back. Jack forced his head back together, he had to be able to think straight, just for a little bit. He was cold and the only source of warmth was Mark’s body against his own, but he had to escape and go back to his friends. Mark was a crazy man that never left his mansion for more than two centuries. It was not a good idea to stay and wait for Mark to kill him, so Jack shoved Mark away using whatever strength left in him.

“This isn’t right. You kill people, I can’t be with you like this,” Jack said before turning away and ran as fast as he could to the direction where he came from ten nights before. His legs felt very heavy, something in him wanted to stay and sink into Mark’s warm bed, psychopathy be damned. Jack fought off the longing for Mark’s touch and forced himself to run further away from the mansion. The forest was really cold and dark, he could barely see where he was going. Stray tree branches ripped through his thin shirt, but those small blisters would heal quickly.

Jack kept on running and running, he looked back to the mansion and watched as the flickering light seemed smaller with every step he took. Jack immediately regretted not watching where he was going because next thing he knew he tripped over something, his body collided roughly against the forest floor, those blisters were going to be the least of his concern now. He tried to get back up on his feet but winced when he felt his right leg faltered from the pain. _Just my luck_ , he thought. After trying a few more times to get up, Jack decided he would just wait there until the morning came. He just had to bear the cold, hoping he wouldn’t die from hypothermia or something.

The harsh wind died down slowly, Jack didn’t  know how long he had been sitting where he was. He remembered he had two phones with him, his shaky hands felt numb as he took the one Ash gave him from his pocket. The phone showed it was 4.02 am, he didn’t even know what time he left Mark’s mansion. Everything was cold, too cold. He could no longer feel the tips of his fingers. Jack put his head on his knees, he was in a crouching position to shield himself from the icy temperature. He just wished someone would find him and brought him to civilization before the winter took his life away.

Slowly, Jack was losing awareness of the cold around him, his breathing slowed down. He closed his eyes and let the darkness welcomed him. The vague sound of someone yelling reached his ears before he lost himself completely to the blackness.

 

* * *

 

Jack opened his eyes slowly and everything was a red blur, but he felt warm, the pain felt distant. His vision cleared and he took in his surrounding, he was in an unfamiliar large room with red walls. _Did someone rescue me, or am I dead?_

“I love it when I hear you breathing, I hope you’re never leaving,” Jack turned to the voice and saw Mark lying beside him with a pleasant smile on his lips.

“Mark?”

“Hey, beautiful. You ran away from me.”

“I...”

Mark let out a sigh. “No matter. It was my wrong anyway. I scared you.” Jack nodded, Mark continued “Ten days. It has never happened before.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have never kept anyone around for that long. I was always eager to study them, to be one step closer to my cure. Do you actually think I want to stay here forever, Jack?” Mark turned to look at him. “I don’t. I want to see the world too, like you do.”

Jack stared at Mark as he spoke, taking in his presence, uneasiness out in the open from telling the truth about himself. “I wish to know other lands. I wish to know the tropical paradise, where it’s warm all year long. I wish to see the land of freedom, or anywhere else.” Mark turned to his side to face Jack. “I should have killed you days ago, so tell me, Jack. Have I been enamored?”

“W-What?”

“Everything you do is...amazing to my eyes. I don’t understand this, two hundred and five years, Jack. Is this what Ava was feeling towards me? _Die Liebe_?”

“Love?”

“Yes, Jack. Love, I don’t know but I wish to know.”

“Isn’t it a bit too quick, I mean,” Jack laughed nervously, “we’ve only known each other for ten days?” Jack hated himself for shooting Mark down, because he knew he was in love with Mark even thought it had only been ten days.

“Look at you. You are full of cuts and bruises because you ran away from me.”

“Oh, I...” Jack lifted his arms to look at himself, his pale skin was decorated unevenly with light reddish cuts and bluish bruises.

“You look so ravishing. The only thing I am disappointed with is I’m not the one decorating you with them.”

Jack widened his eyes, he had forgotten that Mark was _insane_. Mark threw the blood-red duvet off the bed and hovered over Jack. Jack suddenly realised that they were both naked the whole time.

“Mine, mine. I love you, Jack”

“Seán.”

“What? Who is Seán?”

“My real name is not Jack, it’s Seán McLoughlin.”

“ _Seán_ _McLoughlin_ ,” the way Mark said Jack’s name made him want to cry and worship him right then and there. “ _Mein._ ”

“Yours.”

“Will you let me do the things I want to do to you?”

Jack nodded, Mark looked at his with glazed eyes. “Yes, anything, again and again.”

“Will you let me hurt you? I swear to make you feel better after.”

Jack took a deep breath. He caught up on what Mark wanted. He ran a few scenarios in his head and recalled the articles he had read about this kind of relationsip, Fifty Shades of Grey didn’t count.

“I said anything, but you have to tell me what you want to do first.”

Mark gave one sharp nod, his hand moved to caressed Jack’s cheekbone and kissed him gently. When Mark pulled back, his soft expression turned cold and hard. “You ran away from me. I didn’t like it. I want to make sure you will not do so anymore.”

“Forgive me. I was scared and I thought you were going to kill me.”

“You have to earn my forgiveness, Seán.”

Jack shivered when Mark mentioned his real name. It felt oddly intimate and he liked it, he wanted to hear it more and more in that deep, sultry voice.

“Whatever shall I do, Sir?”

“Stay, don’t move. I will come back.” Mark got off the bed and Jack admired the muscles on his back and his arse when he walked out of the room. _This is crazy, he’s so gorgeous and all of this is crazy. I should be_ traumatized _right now._

Mark came back shortly after with a similar restraints that strapped Ash to the bedding before and a small jar in his hand. His heart beating loudly in slight fear and excitement, he was accepting whatever Mark was offering but he was also scared for his life.

“I want you on your stomach,” Jack obeyed then Mark roughly grabbed his hands and tied them behind his back with the restraints. “Spread your legs. Farther.”

When Jack was positioned as he liked, Mark reached down and shoved a lube-slicked finger in his hole, and his hand moved freely, brushing gently over Jack’s prostate, delving deep and quick. Mark added another finger, and another until he had three fingers inside Jack and his hips began to dance.

“You like that, don’t you?” Mark asked.

“Yes,” Jack said, pushing back into the questing touch.

“I’m not going to let you come for a while,” Mark warned him, pleased by the groan he received in response. “No, none of that. You’re my whore, and whores don’t come. They serve. Say it.”

“I…I serve.”

“Good boy.” He used his other hand to stroke his own cock, which was responding quite rapidly. “Ask me.”

“Please fuck me,” Jack asked.

“That’s not a question,” Mark teased.

“Will you please fuck me?”

“Why should I?”

“I…I’ll make you feel good.”

“You better,” Mark said. “I will give you…three minutes to make me come. And for every ten seconds you go over, that’s one spank. Just to help you learn your lesson,” Mark continued, voice stern but Jack caught a hint of asking permission in his words.

“Yes, Sir,” Jack rasped, his voice breathy and high.

“You see that clock to your left above the door, you better keep track of the time, Seán.”

Mark ripped his fingers out of Jack’s body and thrust into him with a long stroke, before becoming still. Jack gasped out a long, shaky moan from being penetrated for the first time. The feeling was foreign and slightly unpleasant, but he didn’t dislike it. His cock was swollen and leaking, trapped between his body and the bed. Jack glanced at the clock, almost one minute passed. _Fuck_ , Mark is cruel.

Jack pushed his hips up against Mark. _Oh Lord_ , _that felt oddly good._ Then he began to move. He rocked back onto Mark’s cock, his back bending and arching in a graceful rhythm, his hips wriggling in a desperate way. Over and over again he did this, pushing back then dragging forward, buttocks beginning to slap against Mark’s hips as he picked up speed. His breath began to pant at the effort, and the feeling of Mark’s cock dragging against his walls gave him a dizzy head.

 _Come on_ , he told himself, but apparently, he was too slow.

“That’s three minutes,” Mark said breathlessly.

Jack let out a soft cry, working harder and faster against the cock inside of him. He was really moving now, impaling himself with healthy force, body trembling.

“Eight spanks,” Mark was saying. “Nine. Ten.”

By the time they hit twenty, Jack was frantic, moving as fast and hard as he could, though Mark seemed to be close to the edge now. Jack wanted to cry, the pleasure enveloping him was immense that he felt he couldn’t handle it anymore. But he didn’t want to come now, otherwise he would earn more spanking from Mark. Mark had one hand come down and groped his arse, squeezed hard and he came inside Jack. It felt... _different_ , wasn’t fully unpleasant.

He flipped Jack onto his back, and leaned down, taking his cock into his mouth with no small amount of enthusiasm. Mark took him deep, too. He licked and tasted until pre-come wet his lips. Mark abandoned the cock then, in favour of the balls that lay heavy and firm beneath. He took them into his mouth, one at a time, gentle and tender, making Jack tremble. Then he went back to Jack’s cock, sucking until Jack was writhing.

But he pulled off. Jack groaned in protest.

“No,” Mark said firmly. “There’s the small matter of a spanking you’ve earned.”

Mark flipped Jack again so he was on his stomach. He didn’t go easy on Jack. The first spank was as heavy as the last, despite the number in the queue. Jack was crying, his arse was burning but he couldn’t lie to himself, he enjoyed it. When Mark was done, he released Jack’s restrained hand and tossed the paraphernalia aside. Mark tipped him upright and soothed Jack’s tears with soft kisses. Mark held him on his lap, his sore arse resting directly on Mark’s hard cock.

“You’re being really good. You won’t run away from me again now, will you?”

“No, Sir.”

“Splendid,” Mark laid Jack on his back and whispered _I love you,_ _Seán_ before kissing him, long and slow and soft and sank back into Jack’s body. Jack’s erection had waned from the spanking, but it came back now, his body tightening and quivering. Mark reached down and palmed Jack’s cock, stroking it in rhythm with his thrusts. It wasn’t long until Jack came over the edge, breathy and high-pitched sounds spilling from his lips. A few more rough thrusts and Mark came inside him again, Jack hummed in pleasure at the warmth.

“Is your leg all right?” Mark asked after they had came down from their high, their breath synchronizing.

“O-Oh, yes. I mean, we didn’t make it worse, or anything.”

“That’s good.”

They spent the whole day tangled up together in Mark’s bed. Mark actually allowed him to take a bath on his own, told him that he wouldn’t be able to control himself and would end up hurting Jack even more, Jack agreed. After they both cleaned up, Mark treated Jack’s burning arse with a balm and ended up fingering him until he was a writhing, whimpering mess on Mark’s sheets. Jack expressed his gratitude by sucking Mark off against the headboard.

They came down for lunch, where Jack didn’t sit on his own chair but on Mark’s lap. He thought it was unnecessary but he loved it anyway. Jack wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was happier than he had ever been his whole life.

 

* * *

 

Three days passed, Mark had painted him again, in his own clothes this time. Jack was very pleased with the result. He wanted to bring it back to Los Angeles, but he didn’t say it out loud knowing it would upset Mark. They made love in the room where Mark painted him, in the library and in Mark’s room again, but Mark never initiated anything like that time after Mark killed Ash. Jack knew Mark was holding back, like he was afraid of hurting Jack. Jack wanted to tell him it was okay, and he would accept whatever Mark fed him with, but he was too shy to say it.

Mark took Jack back to his sanctum and showed him old newspaper articles written about Mark's family, accusing them of witchcraft. Science wasn’t really appreciated as much back then.

“Mark, the whole world is different now,” Jack said putting down a piece that he read with Mark’s help translating. “You’re not a freak, well maybe except the fact that you kill people and study them. I mean, appearance-wise. There are a lot of mixed race now out there, and a lot of them are loved because they are so unique. I’m just saying that, I don’t think people is going to judge you by your appearance anymore.”

Mark was silent. Instead of replying to Jack, he only looked at his jars of organs and sighed. Jack looked at them too and grimaced when he recognised Ash's mutilated nose in one of the jars, so that was where Ash's body went. Jack was curious but couldn't bring himself to ask Mark about it, he made his own conclusion instead.

“You showed me your world. Please let me show you mine, Sir.”

“I enjoy the company of either male or female. Is that acceptable in your world, Jack?” Mark asked, but he didn’t turn to face Jack.

“It is, actually. People don’t really care about that anymore, it’s human nature. Some people like boys, girls, boys and girls. Some people like neither. It doesn’t matter, you are who you are.”

“Do people...like hurting their partners for sexual pleasure?”

“Well, yeah, not all of them, but some do. Psychologists believe it’s not a mental illness, as long as it’s consensual and not overdone.”

“You miss your friends,  your world, don’t you?” This time Mark turned to face Jack, there was a despair clouding his dark sharp eyes.

“I do. But I want you in it, too. Please, Mark, let this go.”

“I-I can’t, this is my whole life, Jack. I’m sorry.” Mark hugged Jack tightly before letting him go to say, “Will you promise to be mine forever?”

“I promise, I’m yours, Mark.”

“Then leave now. But please, come back to see me sometime.”

Jack shook his head, “No, don’t let me go,” He bit his lips, trying to hold in his emotions. Jack didn't want to go, he didn't want whatever he had with Mark ended just yet, or ever.

Mark smiled at him and kissed him softly, again and again. “I love you, but I don’t want to destroy your life by staying with me here until God knows when. Know that I'm trying hard to not let how I feel control me right now. It is for the best. Please come back for me,” Mark then stood up from the chair to press a button near the big table, two of his servants came in.

“No. Mark! Wait!” Jack walked up to Mark and took out the phone from Ash. “Ava told me not to question your decisions and I won’t. So, please, take this phone. I want to be able to still talk to you, at least until the battery runs out.”

Mark nodded with a sad smile and accepted the phone from Jack. Jack smiled at him too and kissed him before letting the servants helped him out and pack, taking him back to Freiburg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been getting awesome responds from you guys! Thank you so much!
> 
> Also, guess who's in love with Kehlani's new song Gangsta? I had that song on loop while writing this chapter.
> 
> As usual, sorry for typing and grammatical mistakes! Tell me what you guys think in the comments, share this with fellow septiplier shippers and don't forget to leave kudos!


	9. Still Adore You With Your Hands Around My Neck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't dirty, just plotty. Hope you like it!

Jack had all his things set up and he was ready to go, to leave Mark behind. It was what he wanted, _right_? Mark had finally let him go and he should take the opportunity before Mark changed his mind. He did miss having his friends around, but Mark had become a familiarity and Jack was not one to let something go easily. The sight of the sad lines on Mark’s face etched to his mind everytime he closed his eyes to blink. Jack knew it was hard for Mark too, because he had never felt this way before. Jack wanted to help Mark overcome his problems, but he knew mental illnesses didn’t magically go away because of love.

Two servants were waiting for Jack at his door, looking at him with wistful eyes. Jack smiled sadly at them and nodded, signaling them that he was ready to go. The servants walked side by side in front of Jack, leading him on foot back to Freiburg. Jack appreciated the silence throughout the journey, he was too drained to be able to conjure up small talk with strangers. Jack didn’t know how long they had been walking, he almost lost all his energy and felt his legs starting to scream from fatigue.

“ _Freiburg,”_ one of the servants said when they finally arrived at the small town. Jack smiled and nodded at them, then they left him alone in the flickering lights of the town at dawn.

Jack continued his journey to look for a place to stay, he also needed to charge his phone to contact his friends. He was relieved when he saw a decent looking hotel nearby that seemed affordable. The doorman smiled at him tiredly, his clothes was crumpled and his hands shook a little from the cold when he opened the door for Jack. The hotel was a simple one, just like every other affordable European hotel in 2016, but it felt strangely unfamiliar to Jack. He missed the beautiful, out of time feel of Mark’s mansion. Taking a deep breath, Jack walked to the receptionist.

“ _Guten Morgen. Kann ich Ihnnen hilfen?,”_ the middle-aged blonde man asked him politely with a smile.

“ _Hallo. Ich spreche kein Deutsch.”_

“Oh, I am sorry. How can we be of service?”

“Do you have a room for the night...or day? I’m not sure,” Jack replied, chuckling.

The receptionist lightly laughed. “Yes, we do have a room available.” He showed Jack the room price list and got himself a room on the third floor.

“We have a bar and a small e-library if you are interested, Sir. Have a pleasant stay.”

“Thank you,” Jack replied to the receptionist with a smile before heading to his room. He needed to sleep the heavy sadness off, maybe hitting up the bar when he woke up.

 

* * *

 

Jack was about to finish his fifth dose of a fancy drink with a name that he could not remember and he still hadn’t called any of his friends though his phone is at one hundred percent, sitting and vibrating occasionally on the table next to his drink. He had 61 missed calls from Felix, 23 missed calls and 11 text messages from Ken and 58 text messages from everyone else. He was not sure what he wanted at that moment, didn’t know whether to come back to his friends or to Mark’s mansion.

The bar was fairly empty. Everyone was having their breakfast at the restaurant, as far from him as possible. He never had the feeling that people were staying away from him, most of the time he was the one staying away from people. He always knew he was different from the people around him, but he never really thought about it before meeting Mark. He wondered if this was Mark was constantly feeling throughout his life.

“Need a friend?” A very tall, large man sat himself two seats away from Jack.

“No, thanks. I don’t really feel like talking,” Jack replied, not facing the man.

“I’m Wade.”

Jack rolled his eyes. He was not in the mood for a conversation with a stranger.

“Hi, Wade. You can call me _not interested_.”

Wade laughed, “No, no. I’m not trying to hit on you or anything. I’m here on holiday with my friend, Bob. But he was sulking because his wife wouldn’t answer his calls. Marriage drama.” Jack hummed in reply.

“So, Irishman. What makes you drink yourself into oblivion in an empty hotel bar?”

Jack groaned in annoyance. “Do I have to answer your question, _American_?”

“You don’t have to actually, but I don’t see anything better for you to do. Though, if you want to continue to be bitter by yourself, be my guess.”

“I’ll continue to be bitter by myself, thanks for asking.”

“So, Bob and I, we won this lottery, right, and we don’t know what to do with it. My fiancee came up with a _brilliant_ idea of touring Europe on winter. She even used her money to buy us the tickets first, like, who does that?”

Jack sighed loudly _. Is this guy even serious?_

Wade continued to tell Jack his story. “So, Bob’s wife got hella angry that Bob didn’t _consult_ with her first. I mean, I know what I signed up for when I proposed to Molly, but sometimes looking at Bob makes me wanna hang myself the day before the wedding.”

“You have issues, man,” Jack briefly commented.

“I know, _right_? I don’t actually want to break off the engagement. I mean, I love her and all that, but... do you get me?”

“Totally.”

“So, I told you my story. What’s yours?”

“I don’t see how that makes me obligated to tell you mine, _Wade_.” Jack downed the remaining content of his glass. “Jesus, my drinks and my feelings are both a _fuckin’_ mix.”

“There, there. You’ll feel better if you tell me. I won’t tell anyone, not even Bob!”

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

“I don’t think so, nope. Your secret will be safe with me, Sir.”

“ _Fuck..._ ”

Jack blamed the stuff he’d been drinking for telling Wade his story since he arrived in Germany, sparing the murderous and psychotic details of Mark. The man seemed to be a good company, he actually listened and not just used Jack’s story as an excuse for him to tell his own experience.

“Man... You’re scared,” Wade commented mindlessly.

“What?” Jack glared at him.

“You’re scared of something. I think it’s the distance, _no_ , that wouldn’t be it,” Wade exhaled. “You gotta take him to LA, man. It’s not like your boyfriend has anything better to do here, right? He’s already rich as fuck, though.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s the issue, Wade.”

“No, man. Try to go back to his castle or whatever and convince him to go with you.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“Ugh, I don’t know? You’re the one who knows him.” Wade moved to the stool right next to the one Jack was sitting on. “You gotta try, though. Just ask him one more time, if he still doesn’t want to go with you, then you’ll call your friends and go back.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next, though.”

“Bob and I rented a car, I’ll drive you there. _Schwarzwald_ is just a short drive away. What do you say?”

Jack took a moment to consider the options. Wade was right, he let Mark let him go too easily. He should at least try to convince Mark one more time.

“You know what? You’re right. But we gotta make a stop at a clothing store first.”

“Sure, m’Lady.”

Jack rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Don’t call me that.” Wade only grinned in return.

 

* * *

 

Wade was right, it was only a short drive from Freiburg to Schwarzwald. Wade was a little confused when Jack directed him quite far inside the forest.

“Your boyfriend’s house must be super old. Hopefully it won’t be higher up the mountain, the snow will be too thick then.”

“No, it’s not much further and yeah, really, really old.”

A foreign feeling washed over Jack when Mark’s mansion came in to view. “There it is!”

“Wow. Yeah, okay. I’m impressed, Irishman. You scored well.”

“Scored? Thanks anyway, Wade. I still don’t know why you’re being too nice to a stranger in a bar.”

“American hospitality. Just call me when you want me to pick you up.”

Jack nodded happily and hopped down from Wade’s car. He stood outside for a while, watching Wade drove away. He then walked towards the main gate, his boots left deep prints on the fairly thick snow. Jack pushed the heavy door with a slight struggle, the warmth of the house greeted him once he was inside.

“Mark?” Jack called out, making his way upstairs to Mark’s sanctum- _slash_ -lab. The mansion was empty, there were no servants around.

“Mark, where are you?”

He opened the door to Mark’s sanctum and searched around but he wasn’t there. Jack was a bit stunned to see that the lab was no longer a lab as there were nothing left there. All evidence that something bad happened there had disappeared. Confused, he left the room and continued to look for Mark.

“Mark, please. You’re scaring me,” Jack called out again, only to have his voice echoed through the empty old halls. He continued to combed through each room in the mansion, Ava’s and Mark’s room included but they no longer had anything in them. They were now empty, like any other room in the mansion.

_Something is clearly happening here._

Jack went outside of the mansion and made his way to the stable where Mark kept his two white horses. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the horses were still there. Not even three steps inside the stable, Jack felt somebody grabbed his hair and pushed him down. The person held Jack’s hand behind him, only to let him go after.

“Seán?”

Jack widened his eyes and quickly stood up. His head spun from the after effects of the alcohol he had earlier. “Mark? That you?”

“Yes, Seán.”

Jack threw himself at Mark, hugging him tightly. “What happened? Why are you in here? Why is the mansion empty?”

“Why did you come back, _Schatz_?”

“I came back for you,” Jack said before leaning to Mark to kiss him thoroughly. It hadn’t been a day and Jack already missed the way Mark tasted. Mark kissed him back just as hard.

“You shouldn't have came back here. How did you get here?” Mark asked when they pulled away.

“Someone I met at the hotel took me here.”

“You let _someone else_ know the location of my _villa_?!” Mark half-yelled at him dismissively. His thundering voice sent fear down to Jack’s bones.

“I’m sorry. I... just wanted to see you again.”

Jack saw a brief flame of anger flashed through Mark’s dark eyes before he was pushed roughly against the cold wooden walls of the stable. Mark’s hand was around his neck, slowly but sharply cutting off the air to his lungs.

“Who do you think you are? You come in to my life and ruin everything? I had to burn everything down because people are investigating the disapperance of an English citizen, Aaron Ash. There has been more than ten authorities patrolling around my home. Now you brought someone else to my house, told him about _me_? I cannot kill them all, that would be too suspicious and it would be too much work. I would be sloppy.”

Jack was gaping for air, struggling against Mark’s strong hold on him, thrashing around but the other man didn’t budge. His eyebrows furrowed, his forehead lined with fury, anger, madness. Jack felt his vision blurring away, his consciousness threatening to leave him. Suddenly, he felt a rush of air came back inside his lungs when Mark let him go and embraced him, kissing him softly on his lips and peppered gentle kisses along his jaw as Jack struggled to breathe normally again.

“Forgive me. I do not know what came over me. I should not have done that, _Schatz_.”

Jack let out a shaky, “I..t’s o..kay, Mark. I... understand.”

They stayed that way for a while. Jack syncing his breathing with Mark’s steadying one. He let Mark’s hands caressed his body, it felt strangely peaceful.

“We cannot go back to the mansion, _Schatz_.”

The distant ringing sound of sirens filled their ears and Jack knew he made a mistake.

“ _Shit_ , Wade. I should’ve known.” Jack looked at Mark square in his eyes. “Come with me, please.”

“I can’t change, Jack. I can’t give you a normal life. If you’re with me, we’ll be hunted, hated. The whole world will be against us.”

Jack put his hand on Mark’s cheek and smiled sincerely at him, his eyes honest. “I don’t care. I don’t want a normal life. I want you,” Jack kissed him again, trying to convey as much of his feelings to the kiss. “Please, come with  me, Sir.”

Mark gave Jack one sharp nod. “Everything I know has changed, Jack. What’s one more?”

Jack smiled. “I'm sorry, Mark, for everything," Jack whispered, still looking at Mark. He then took a deep breath, realising they had to move before the police arrived. "First, you gotta change clothes. I got you some clothes that wouldn’t make stick out like a sore thumb. Please, Sir.”

Mark nodded again, Jack took the clothes he bought earlier out from his backpack and gave them to Mark to wear.

“What’s the plan then, fair traveler?” Mark asked when he finished putting the clothes on with Jack’s help. It didn't take long before Mark was wrapped inside a shirt, a black jumper and a thick black jacket. The navy blue jeans which size seemed a little too small for Mark hugged his legs just right. Mark was still wearing his own Hessian boots because Jack didn't know what Mark's shoe size was and he didn't want to risk it. Jack had gaped for one long minute, digesting how good Mark looked in modern clothes, just as good as he looked in clothings of his time. But then Jack remembered that they were running out of time.

“Right, sorry. I'm back on earth now. You still have the phone I gave you, right?”

“Yes,” Mark said. He crouched down to take out the phone from the breast pocket of the clothes he wore before. “I have not let it go since you left.”

Jack smiled. “Flatterer.” Mark smiled back.

“Come on, then. We have to get out of Freiburg. Lead me away from the mansion, m’Lord.”

Mark then carefully, stealthily lead them away from the blinding red and blue lights of the local police ransacking the Fischbach Villa. They were quite far from the mansion when Jack’s phone vibrated from a call from an unknown number. He hesitantly pressed answer.

“Hello?”

“Is this Irishman?”

“What?”

“I’m Bob. Wade got arrested by the police for assisting a criminal suspect. You have to get out of there now.”

Jack looked at Mark, the other seemed unfazed by what was currently happening. “Yeah, I’m trying to leave the town. This better not be a trap or I swear to God—“

“No, no. Stay hidden near the main road, I’ll pick you up. Do you have your boyfriend with you?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Stay put,” Bob hang up.

Jack’s head was racing with endless questions. He didn’t know who to trust anymore, but leaving with Bob seemed to be the best-case scenario at the moment. Jack then told Mark about the phone call, Mark responded dismissively although he didn’t get angry that Jack accepted the help.

“Everything is messy already. If he showed any sign that we cannot trust him, I’ll take care of him.”

Jack couldn’t believe that he agreed to Mark said. He never thought he would agree to killing other human beings, but Mark was right, things were already getting out of hand.

Mark took Jack’s hand and laced their fingers together. “You’re stuck with me, _Schatz._ You chose me, I chose you. Whatever happen, we will face them together.”

Jack nodded and led them towards the main road and thought, _Whatever shall happen, let it happen._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys. I want to tell you that uni is already starting and I won't be able to update as often as I used to, but don't worry this story is still going with more promising dirty bdsm chapters ahead. stay tuned!
> 
> don't forget to leave kudos and comments!


	10. Darling, Just Hold On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, who's back!

8.56 pm.

Mark and Jack had been waiting for Bob for almost three hours now, but there was still no sign of him coming.

“Perhaps we should just go deeper into the forest. It is harder for the police to find us there”, Mark suggested.

“I don’t know, Mark. How long are we going to stay there, though? Soon it’s not gonna be just the police looking for you, but the immigration is gonna look for me to deport me for overstaying,” Jack answered.

They were leaning against a large tree close to the main road. They had moved from one tree to another for the last three hours they were waiting for the ride Bob promised them.

“How do you know that we are able to trust this person? You only met him today.”

Jack hummed. “Well, technically I didn’t meet Bob, I met Wade. So no, I haven’t met him.”

Mark shrugged. “Even worse.”

Few small talks later, Jack’s phone rang. It was Bob.

“Where are you?!”

The person on the other end seemed out of breath.

“We’re at KM 28. Where are you?”

“Very close, we’ll arrive in around three minutes. We’re in a blue Volkswagen Golf, the license plate is B MB 4983.”

“Alright, thanks. We’ll keep an eye out.”

Jack hung up the call.

“They’re gonna be here in three minutes, look out for B MB 4983. It seems like Bob isn’t alone.”

“Let’s just hope this is not a trap.”

Jack leaned on Mark’s shoulder. “Yeah.”

* * *

 

Jack was half asleep when Mark softly nudged him, telling him that B MB 4983 had arrived. Jack quickly got up, grabbed his backpack and Mark’s hand.

Bob was gesturing wildly for them to get into the back seat. Wade was there too, sitting in the passenger seat. There was a woman in the back seat helping them get in. Jack presumed it was Bob’s wife.

Bob quickly stepped on the gas and drove them away, far from the Fischbach Villa. For a short while, the only thing that could be heard in the car were everyone’s heavy breathing.

“Wow, you actually helped us, and you don’t know us,” Jack broke the silence.

“Mandy...”, Bob said.

Jack was confused, but Bob’s wife, _Mandy_ , then spoke up to clear the confusion.

“Right, I guess I should explain. We haven’t been entirely truthful with you, especially with Lord Fischbach.”

Mark whipped his head at Mandy’s direction. Jack quickly laced his fingers with Mark’s to calm him down. He knew everything came rushing down on Mark and he needed a reminder that he will be just fine.

“I am related to you, in a way. You can say I am your two hundred years gap niece.”

“Niece? You have my brother’s blood in you?”

“You can say that. Since your brother was cast away with your mother, he made it a priority to find his younger brother. It has gone on for so long he passed it to his children, his children’s children, up until now. I know it sounds ridiculous. Even the family doesn’t want to keep the tradition anymore, searching around Fischbach Villa. I mean, can you blame them? Two hundred years and no result?”

“Your story does seem far fetched, dear,” Mark replied in a monotonous voice.

“I know. Here...” Mandy pulled a large folder and pulled out a piece of paper, yellow in colour from age. “Is this not you?”

She gave the paper to Mark. Mark took it and held out the paper so Jack could also see. It was Mark. He was photographed alone, holding a book in one hand and the other was clutching a sheathed sword.

“It is me in the photograph. How did you get this?”

“Like I told you, it was passed from generations to generations in our family,” she paused. “I was the one fiddling with your front door few nights ago. Mom told me when she was younger, she went to the Black Forest and saw someone still living in the villa. I believed her, so that’s why I got mad when I knew Bob and Wade was going to Germany without telling me first.”

“I’m sorry, Mandy. I didn’t want you rambling about your family ritual,” Bob said from the driver’s seat.

“It turned out to be true, didn’t it, Bob?”

Mandy rolled her eyes before continuing with her story. “When Wade said he was driving someone to a mansion in the middle of the forest, I quickly asked him all the details, and here I am. I finished what Sir Thomas Fischbach started two centuries ago, find his brother. How is this even possible?”

Mark let out a long sigh. “How do I know that I can trust you?”

“You don’t. I don’t have any other evidence beside the photo. If you don’t wanna say anything, that’s fine. I promise I won’t say a word about who you are, if you need any help just tell me.”

“Mandy, I’m sorry. Do you think you can help us get the needed legal documents for Mark? I mean, he doesn’t have any with him and I’m thinking of taking him to LA with me,” Jack spoke up.

“LA?” Mark looked at Jack in confusion.

“I’ll tell you later,” Jack replied.

Mandy smiled. “Of course. I have someone I know in Berlin that can help us. Lucky we’re heading there now.”

“Thanks, Mandy.”

Wade cleared his throat. “Alright, this weird, heavy family talk is over for now. We should move on to the fun ones!”

 

* * *

 

The seven and a half hour drive was easy, slightly awkward but still easy. They stopped for fuel a few times before they arrived in Berlin. It took another twenty minutes to get to where Mandy’s contact is. Mark was mostly silent the whole time. Mark was not a chatter but Jack knew this one was different. He was looking at the window the whole journey and Jack knew he was scared, scared of the changes in his life and in the world around him, and that was still only Germany.

“We stop here,” Mandy said when they get in front of a simple brown house. “I’ll get in first and talk to him. I’ll tell you when you can get in.”

“Okay,” Bob answered.

Around two minutes later, Mandy came out and gestured at them to get in the house. They quickly got out of the car and got in the house. Inside, they were met with a young man called Robin who, according to Mandy, could provide them with any legal document from any country. Jack explained to Robin that Mark needed to be a United States citizen. Robin agreed and told them to wait two hours until all the documents were ready.

While they were waiting, Jack told Mark about his plan to take him to Los Angeles, USA. Mark agreed, he told Jack he had nowhere to go and the only person he trusted was Jack. Jack smiled bashfully at that. He then decided to call his friends and tell them that he was, in fact, still alive and well.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Jack! What the fuck, you little shit? What the fuck?! Where have you been?” Felix basically screamed from the other end of the line.

“I got on the wrong train, Fe. I was in Freiburg for the last two weeks. I’m so sorry. I’m in Berlin now.”

“Sorry? Fucking assh--, you don’t get to say sorry! We’ve been looking for you everywhere! We called the fucking police, you little shit! What the fuck?! We’re in Berlin too, dude.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know, I should’ve told you, but I couldn’t get any service in Freiburg. I also don’t have any cash with me, and there’s no ATM that supports my card there. I had to wait for a lift, I’m so sorry.”

“What the fuck?! We’re staying in Ibis, I’ll text you the address. Bitch, what the fuck?!”

Jack laughed, “Alright, chill with the swearing, Fe. I’m still alive. How’s everyone?”

“Ken feels so fucking guilty, he’s the one going nuts looking for you everywhere. Matt’s yelling about the budget. Ryan seems out of it. Marzia is just constantly trying to calm me down.”

“Tell everyone I’m sorry!”

“Bitch, no. You have to pay for our plane tickets to Dublin.”

“What? I don’t have that much money! Just cancel the trip to UK.”

“Ryan’s not happy about that.”

“Sorry, Ryan!”

“We’re still going to Gothenburg.”

“Yes, yes. We are. Also, guys, I won’t be alone.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my boyfriend—“

There was a brief pause before Felix yelled, “Your _boyfriend_?!”

“Yeah.”

“Bitch, what?!”

“I’ll explain later.”

“God damn right, you will.”

Jack sighed. “Yeah, I’ll go to Ibis soon. See ya, Fe.”

“Your friends seem to be very worked up,” Mark said after Jack hung up.

“Yeah, told you they’re going insane looking for me.”

Mark lifted a hand and stroked Jack’s cheek. “Yes, you are right, _Schatz._ I—“

Mark didn’t get to finish his sentence because Robin came in and told them that he was done. They, then, said goodbye to one another and shared phone numbers. Mark and Jack then called a taxi to the hotel where Jack’s friends stayed.

 

* * *

 

“Jack, what the fuck?!” Felix yelled when he saw Jack coming through the main door of the hotel. He then ran and hugged Jack tightly.

“Wow, good to see you too, Fe,” Jack replied, hugging Felix back.

Ken came after, followed by Marzia, Ryan and Matt.

“Oh, God. Jack, what the fuck?! Are you serious? We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Ken commented and patted Jack’s shoulder.

“You can let go now,” Mark said in a stern voice. Jack didn’t if Mark was talking to him or Felix, but they both let go.

“Right, guys,” Jack laughed awkwardly. “I’m sorry for putting you through this.”

“No, Jack. I’m sorry for being such an ass to you,” Ken said.

“We’re sorry for leaving you behind, not waiting for you to get on the train,” Matt added.

“It’s alright, guys,” Jack smiled.

“Who’s the hottie, Jack?” Marzia asked playfully.

“Oh, right. This is Mark Fischbach, my boyfriend,” Jack said. He then introduced his friends to Mark, they all shook Mark’s hand.

“I’m sorry if this is rude, but are you mixed, Mark?” Ryan asked.

“Mixed?”

“He means mixed-race,” Jack explained to Mark.

“Oh yes, that is correct. My father is German and my mother is Korean.”

“That’s so cool!”

They continued the small talk after Jack checked in and while they walked to their rooms. Luckily, Mark and Jack got a room on the same floor as Jack’s friends. Jack sighed happily and threw himself on the bed when they got inside. He took his phone and typed a quick text to Felix.

“Oh, thank God all of those are over,” Jack said. “Are you doing alright so far, Sir? Please tell me how you feel.”

“This is all just so new to me,” Mark replied. He sat next to Jack on the king bed, posture straight and back tense. Jack absentmindedly scooted closer and nudged his face on Mark’s side.

“Mm-hmm, please tell me more, Sir.”

“The crowd, the technologies, the people we met on our way here...”

“What about them?”

“I don’t know if I can trust them.”

“They helped us get here, right? That’s all that matters for now. We’re going to leave the country soon, so everything will be alright.”

Jack got off the bed and stood up in front of Mark, tired eyes looking down at him lazily. He put his hands on Mark’s shoulders and moved closer.

“Please kiss me, Sir.”

Mark did just that, his hand settled on the back of Jack’s neck to draw him down and sealed their lips together. It started off innocent but it turned into something more when Mark moved his hands slowly towards Jack’s arse, kneading them softly. Jack moaned into the kiss as he felt himself slowly getting aroused.

“Wait,” Jack said.

“What is it, love?”

Jack smiled and fell to his knees before unbuttoning Mark’s jeans then sliding the zipper down. He looked up at Mark as his hands freed Mark’s erection from his underwear. He spat on his hand and lazily stroked the half hard cock. He leaned down to wrap his lips on the head while his hand stroked the shaft.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

“Shit,” Jack cursed under his breath after he let go of Mark’s now fully hard cock.

“Ignore it,” Mark commanded.

“But what if it’s Felix?”

“What if it is Felix?”

“Well, he may have something important to tell me.”

“It can wait.”

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes at Mark. “Mark, I made my friends worry, okay? I’m pretty sure they’re just checking on me.”

“They know you’re fine.”

Jack huffed in annoyance and stood up. “Tuck yourself in. I’m gonna see who that is and what they need.”

“Did you just... tell me what to do, Jack?”

“I did. Now, please, I’m going to see who that is.”

Jack then looked through the hole to see who it was. He was right, it was Felix.

“It’s Felix. I’m going outside to talk to him for a bit.”

Before Mark could say anything, Jack left the room.

“Hey, Felix. What is it?”

“Where did you meet this guy?”

Jack furrowed his brows, “What?”

Felix grabbed Jack’s arm and led him farther from the room.

“Jack, I’m just gonna be mean and say it. You’re an absolute awkward turtle, okay? Don’t get me wrong, behind all that ‘leave me alone’ attitude, you’re a very attractive guy. But I’m your best friend, Jack. You tell me everything, but you never told me about this Mark guy and now he’s your _boyfriend_?”

“Well, I don’t tell you everything, I guess.”

“Answer my question, though. Where and when did you meet this guy?”

“I-I met him online, we’ve been talking for a while. H-He lives in Freiburg so when I was there I thought, why not meet up, you know?”

“I hope you’re telling me the truth right now, because Mark doesn’t look like a guy who does online dating, and neither are you.”

“Well then, you don’t know everything about me Felix.”

Felix sighed. “You know I care about you, right? I mean, we’re best friends, we help each other out. Look, Jack, whatever happens, you know I’m there for you, right?”

Jack smiled and nodded. “I know. That’s why I’m not worried, ‘cause I’ll always have you.”

“Well, now that’s out of the way. Do you wanna grab a coffee from the cafe?”

“I’d love to, but I don’t wanna leave Mark alone—“

“Seriously? He’s a grown man, he can take care of himself.”

“Alright, but no black coffee. That thing is a disaster.”

Felix laughed. “Sure, Jack. Whatever you want.”

 

* * *

 

It was 10.26 pm when Jack returned to his room. It was dark and seemed to be empty.

“Mark?” Jack called out.

He placed his phone on the bedside table and took off his coat before checking inside the bathroom. He felt someone grabbed him and shoved him in the shower before he had the chance to turn the lights on. His face was pressed against the cold tiles of the shower wall and his hands are pinned above his head.

“Two hours,” Mark’s low growl filled the silence. “You left me here like an idiot for _two hours_.”

“I-I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Felix—“

“No. No one else’s name will come out of your lips except for mine tonight.”

Jack shivered. “Y-yes, Sir.”

“Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What even is this chapter?  
> Just a filler chapter, probably full of things that are just too convenient for the sake of the plot. Probably also full of errors, I'll fix it when I have the time. In the meantime, hope you enjoy it anyways! Thanks for being so patient with this story.  
> Just a teaser, moving from Freiburg to LA will not lighten the theme of the story. So stay tuned for what's coming!


	11. Start A Fire

Jack couldn’t feel his fingers and toes when he woke up. He was also sore all over from his head that was hammering with headache to his frozen toes. Mark had used his body and made him sleep in cold water all night. He struggled to get up and get out of the bathtub, his steps wobbly. He, then, weakly knocked three times on the bathroom door.

“M-Mark...” His voice raspy and small.

It took a while before he heard footsteps approaching the bathroom. Jack waited a little bit more for the door to be opened. Mark was on the other side of the door, warm smile on his hand and warm towel in his hand.

“Good morning, _Schatz_.”

Jack mustered up what was left of his energy to smile at him.

Mark didn’t apologize, Jack knew he wouldn’t. But Mark wrapped the warm towel around Jack’s shivering uncovered body before lifting him up and cradled him in his arms. He whispered sweet compliments and endearments in Jack’s ear. Mark laid Jack down on the bed and wrapped him in blankets then proceed to sat close to Jack. He put his hand on Jack’s head and softly ran his hand over Jack’s hair.

“Sèan, you know that I love you, right?”

Jack bit back the reply threatening to spill from his lips. He knew better now. He thought to himself instead, _It’s my body that you want up on the wall. I don’t believe you when you say that it’s love. I’m not stupid, I know what keeps you coming around. But I, I do love you, ‘cause even though your touch is cold, it is all I feel._

Met with silence, Mark turned away and stared at the window instead. Silence hung heavy between them for a few moments before there was a knock on the door. Mark stood up to open the door. It was their breakfast that Mark managed to order for them. Mark walked in with the tray of food and placed it next to Jack. He took the warm chicken and mushroom cream soup and sat beside Jack, the tray separating them.

“Will you let me feed you, _meine Liebe_?” Mark asked, voice hard but eyes gazing at Jack softly. Jack could only nod.

It was half a bowl before Jack could speak. “T-Thank you, Sir...”

“Don’t thank me. This is what I should do. I should take care of you, I should take responsibility for what I’ve done.”

“I’m sorry, Mark, for taking you away from your home.”

Mark laughed softly. “We’re still in Germany, aren’t we?”

Jack smiled and looked at him. “We are.”

A few more spoons before Jack spoke again. “I’m sorry for leaving you last night. I should have been more considerate. All these are unfamiliar to you, and I’m the only person you know.”

“I suppose I was acting like a little child.”

“No. You’re insane. I think you’re clinically insane.”

Mark sighed. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“How did you order the breakfast?”

“I left the room and saw the hotel worker. I asked her for breakfast.”

“That’s great, Mark.” Jack unwrapped himself from the blanket. “I think you should eat yours now, Sir.”

“Yeah.”

Mark gave the bowl of soup and took his own breakfast. Jack finished the remaining of the soup before putting it aside and grabbed his phone on the nightstand. He called Felix.

“ _Jack, you still alive?_ ”

“I’m still alive. My boyfriend didn’t kill me, Felix.” Jack rolled his eyes. Although there was a possibility that he could have died from sleeping in ice, but that was beside the point.

“ _That’s good. I was so worried. So, we plan on going back to Dublin today. You alright with that?_ ”

“More than.”

“ _Is Mark coming?_ ”

“Yeah, he’s coming and living with me in L.A.”

“ _What? Are you serious, Jack? We haven’t talked about this._ ”

“We don’t have to. My life choices don’t concern you.” Jack was startled with the words that just came out of his mouth. He always said the nicest things to Felix. He always asked Felix for advice on basically anything. He always looked up to Felix and wondered why the handsome and popular blonde even wanted to be friends with him in the first place. The brief seconds of silence showed that Felix was also startled by his words.

“ _Well, okay. Call Matt to also buy your_ boyfriend _a ticket,_ ” Felix replied before hanging up. Jack hated Felix’s tone, but Jack couldn’t blame him.

“Everything alright, _Schatz_?”

“I just pissed Felix off.”

“I’m sorry, but what do you mean?”

“I just made Felix upset. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Mark scoffed. “Your life choices really don’t concern him, _Schatz_.”

“That’s true.”

“Then you should not feel guilty about it.”

“You’re right.”

Jack then proceed to call Matt to ask him to buy a ticket for Mark too.

 

* * *

 

They met up in the lobby two hours before the flight and called a taxi to take them there. Jack laughed to himself looking at the way Mark looked at everything during the drive to the airport. His friends were busy talking and laughing with each other, but Jack’s attention was focused on Mark and how he practically gaped at everything his eyes landed on.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine,” Mark said, clearing his throat.

“I know you have the expectation to always look calm and composed, but it’s just me, you know? You can tell me.”

“There are other people here, Sèan. I am uncomfortable with that.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “Sure. Whatever makes you comfortable.”

Felix didn’t say anything to him the whole time. Jack knew Felix wanted him to apologise for the way Jack talked to him earlier, but Mark was right. He should not feel guilty for the truth.

Jack laughed lowly everytime he saw Mark stared questioningly at modern things. The automatic door, the x-ray scan, the screen that showed the flight schedule. Jack knew Mark hated feeling helpless, and in this moment Mark was feeling helpless. Mark was feeling like a big fucking idiot even though he was doing a good job hiding his lack of knowledge on modern things.

Jack’s friends gave him the stink eye when Mark made a comment on the black woman who was helping them check in and why was the white man the one cleaning the toilet. Jack understood it was really weird for Mark looking at how everything has changed.

“Hey,” Jack said to Mark, walking beside him closely.

“Not too close, Sèan.”

“Why not? We’re together, aren’t we?”

“Sèan, please, not too loud.”

Jack shrugged it off and walked beside Ken instead. He knew Mark lived in an era where just the thought of being with someone of the same sex is repulsive and a sin. But Mark was an amazing person, he seemed to be able to pull off conversations with everyone in the group, except Felix. The blonde didn’t want to be too close to Mark. Jack hated it, he wanted his boyfriend and his best friend to get along. Though he’s not doing an excellent job in making that happen. He knew Mark was probably trained to make diplomatic connections with everyone, remembering that he was going to be a Lord of a noble household. Just how long ago was that for Mark? He had been living the same life over and over for two hundred years. It must feel crazy.

Mark sat next to him in the waiting room, asking him about the whole traveling overseas on an airplane thing. Jack told him that he didn’t know the technicalities but he explained the broad idea of it also how the system works, the immigration and everything.

“We’re going to Dublin?” Mark asked him.

“Yeah, we are.”

“That’s where your family is.”

“Well, where my parents are. But since it’s Christmas, everyone will be there.”

“Who is everyone?”

“My siblings. You know, brothers and sisters.”

“How many do you have?”

“Two older brothers and two older sisters.”

“You’re the youngest.”

“Yeah. Usually people always spoil their youngest, but my parents made it clear they would never spoil any of their kids.” Jack chuckled at the memory of his childhood.

“You had a lovely childhood.”

“I did. I miss it sometimes. Things were much easier back then, you know? Nothing to worry about, parents will deal or help you deal with the consequences of the naughty things you did.”

Mark smiled bitterly. “Not in my case.”

“Well, yours is a curious case.”

They talked for a few more minutes before they were called for boarding. Mark sat on the window seat with Jack next to him and Ryan next to Jack. Mark kept on whispering to Jack, asking questions and telling him how fascinated he was with how the ground looked from up above. He squeezed Jack’s hand when they were taking off and landing. Jack found it very adorable, not that he would ever tell Mark that. It would hurt his ego and shatter the power dynamic they have between them.

 

* * *

 

It was around 6pm when they arrived in Dublin. The snow was thick on the ground and the street lights were dim, but the sky could not be clearer. Christmas theme song could be heard almost all over the city. Jack was happy. He wished he could lace his fingers with Mark’s and share how he feels. He wished he could read what was in Mark’s head. He wished he knew why Felix was still so angry. Felix was never angry at him for more than three hours, and it had been five hours.

Jack knocked on the door of his parents’ house when they arrived. His eldest brother, Rory, opened the door and crushed him in a hug when he saw his youngest brother.

“Jack! Oh my God, you’re here!”

“Hey, Rory,” Jack replied, smiling. “Can we come in?”

“Sure, sure!”

Rory motioned them to come inside and called the rest of Jack’s family. Everyone was there. Jack’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. McLoughlin, Jack’s brothers and sisters, Rory, Sharon, Caoimhe and Trevor with their partners and kids. They were all so excited and happy to have Jack and his friends for Christmas. They got even more excited when Ryan mentioned that the hot _wasian_ was Jack’s boyfriend.

“For real?!” Sharon asked excitedly.

“I can see that you’re so different from your family, Sèan,” Mark commented.

“Shut up. I wasn’t _always_ quiet, you know.”

Mark laughed. “Oh, I didn’t know that. I just met you.”

The rest of the Christmas dinner went smoothly. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. They were going to straight away fly to Gothenburg in the morning to see Felix’s family. Their holiday was going to end soon.

They spent the next day in Gothenburg. It was a little bit awkward for Jack, because he had to pretend that everything was fine with Felix. He was very relieved when they left that evening for Los Angeles.

 

* * *

 

Everyone parted ways at the LAX, leaving Mark alone with Jack in the crowd. Everything felt unusual to him. Up until now, his life had been a meaningless repeat of blood and hatred. But Jack took him away from that. He took Mark away from his research, his servants, his villa. Jack took him away from everything that was familiar to him. He looked at Jack and saw that he felt more relaxed now that he was away from his friends.

“We should go home to my place,” Mark heard Jack said.

“Yes.”

Jack called a taxi to take them to his house. Mark was still getting used to the idea of fast, modern cars and smooth roads. He was still getting used to the idea of pictures moving inside a box called screen, both small and big in size. He didn’t know what he was going to do after this. Would it be wise to stay in Los Angeles with Jack? He never wanted to be separated with Jack ever, but would Jack want him to stay for...ever? Those questions kept on pounding in his head all the way through rows and rows of cars and other types of vehicles on the street. He didn’t even realise when the taxi stopped in front of a very tall building with lots of small windows.

“Here we are, my apartment,” Jack’s voice snapped him out of his daze.

“Is this your house? This very tall building is your house?”

“Well, not the whole building, obviously. Can’t afford that,” Jack replied with a laugh.

“I am confused.”

“My house is in there, but not the building,” he explained. “Come on.”

Jack proceed to pay the taxi driver and unloaded his luggage. Mark helped carry them inside. Jack used a card to open the door.

“The card is the key?” Mark asked.

“Yeah, there’s a chip inside the card that’s integrated with the system--, you know what? Never mind. The card _is_ the key.”

“Okay...” Mark answered in a quiet voice.

They used the elevator to go to Jack’s floor. The elevators didn’t have the lever, Jack seemed to just touch number 17 that was written on the glass patch inside the elevator. It dinged when they arrived on the 17th floor.

“I don’t live _that_ high up but the we have the view of the beach, so we can see the sunset from my balcony,” Jack told him.

Jack used the same card to unlock the door to his house that seemed to only have one door and no windows.

“Here it is, my apartment. It’s nothing compared to your villa, obviously.”

“It is cozy.”

“Oh, please take your shoes off,” Jack said. “ _Ugh_ , remind me we have to go out to buy you normal sandals and shoes.”

Jack then explained how everything in his house works. The house was very small and simple. The walls were painted grey with a dark brown carpet covered the whole floor. There were two sets of sofas and a small coffee table in the living room. Jack explained the large flat screen on the wall—the _TV_ —and the small black box on the floor under it—the _PlayStation_. Jack explained how to use his kitchen and bathroom appliances. Jack then showed Mark his room.

“Well, this is my room. Do you wanna sleep here with me or in the other room?” Jack asked.

Mark furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you not want to sleep with me, Sèan?”

“I do! I do!” Jack quickly replied, rushed. “It’s just... If you don’t want to, you can sleep in the other room.”

“We are sleeping together.”

“O..kay.”

Jack walked to the kitchen where Mark followed just behind him. He was rummaging with the _fridge_.

“What are you doing, _Schatz_?”

“Hmm... I don’t have any frozen food left.” Jack stood up and closed the fridge. “Do you want to have dinner at the restaurant or get a takeout?”

“A takeout?”

“We buy food then we bring them home.”

Mark thought about it for a few seconds. “Let’s have dinner at the restaurant. I want to see the city at night time.”

Jack smiled then laughed bitterly. Mark didn’t know why.

“Okay, I know just the place to go.”

 

* * *

 

Jack took Mark to a small restaurant called the Golden Dragon that served Chinese food. Modern Chinese food sure were different than the ones his family used to eat when they had guests from the land of China. Jack apologised for not being able to take him to the fancy restaurants, because he didn’t have the money for that. Mark didn’t know what to say to that. He clearly was not expecting his lover to take him to a fancy restaurant.

Jack then lead them to a dimly lit place with loud music blaring from inside. He could see people doing inappropriate things on the stairs, on the sofa as they made their way inside.

“What is this place, Jack?”

“It’s a club. Thought you said you wanted to know the city is at night.”

“People go here to have fun?”

“Yeah. I don’t really go to clubs anyways. I just wanna show you how the nightlife is, very wild.”

They sat on stools and Jack ordered two glasses of a drink he had never even heard of.

“Try it. New experience,” Jack said before sipping his drink. His face scrunched up. _How cute._

Mark shrugged and took a sip. The taste sure was unfamiliar to him, but he didn’t hate it. They talked for a while with the deafening music as their background. Mark couldn’t understand why people liked going to this place.

Jack told him he needed to go to the toilet and asked Mark to wait. Mark used the time to look around and observe his surroundings. All everybody seemed to be doing was laughing too hard, getting too drunk or doing obscene and inappropriate things that should not be done in public.

Mark was getting tired of waiting. He had been sitting on the stool alone, nursing the drink in his hand for almost 30 minutes. He then decided to get up and look for Jack. Before he got a chance to move, a tall and slender girl with red hair wearing a black shiny dress approached him.

“Hey, there,” she greeted, voice high and flirty.

“Yes. Can I help you?”

“Wow. A hottie and a gentlemen. They’re hard to find these days.”

“I’m sorry, Miss—“

“Sophie.”

“Right, Miss Sophie. Is there any pressing matter that needs my assistance? If not, I have something I have to do.”

Sophie’s face fell. “A lady can take a rejection,”  she said, walking away.

Mark huffed in annoyance before making his way around trying to find Jack. He could not find him anywhere inside the club. He tried all the stalls in the bathroom, and even got yelled at when he tried to get in the female’s bathroom. Mark was very worried. His face red, fire prickling under his skin. His breathing ragged from the panic.

He exit the club and started to scan the areas around it. That was when he saw Jack’s familiar green hair inside the window of a car that was parked quite far from the club. It was quite hidden in the shadows of the buildings surrounding it. He ran to it then yanked the door open. The sight in front of him was not pretty. His lover was crying while a greasy old man tried to have his way with him. He saw red.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“This twink is not doing his job right,” the irritating old man answered.

Jack sobbed harder. He didn’t even know that Mark was there, stopping the man’s advances.

“Because _that_ is not his job!”

“Well how would you know that?”

“Because...” Mark paused for a second, fear of admitting the truth coiled him before he remembered that it was accepted to be in a relationship with a man now. “Because he is _mine_! He is _my_ lover! No one touches what’s mine.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Oh, great another twink that thinks he’s going to safe his boyfriend.”

“I think you do not understand the weight of my words.”

Those were Mark’s last words to the man before yanking him outside the car and punched him three times in his gut.

“No one underestimates me. No one takes what’s mine.”

“Fuck, man. I know I was about to rape him, but you’re fucking insane!”

Mark glared at the man. He pressed his shoes on the man’s neck, choking him. He kept his foot there while pulling at Jack. Jack was still crying, Mark’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears. He then slapped Jack hard across his face.

“Listen to me!”

Jack stopped his sobbing and opened his eyes slowly.

“This man is the one who was about to rape you, and you are just going to sit there and _cry_?!”

“I’m so scared, Mark. I don’t know what to do,” Jack replied, voice small and timid.

Mark pulled him closer and soothed him. He kissed him briefly before pulling out his dagger from his jacket.

“Kill him.”

Jack’s breath hitched at that. “W-What?”

“Rape is a worst offence than murder. _Kill. Him_.”

Jack took the dagger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, guys!


	12. When I'm Fucked Up, That's The Real Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are changing.

Jack wasn’t thinking when he took the dagger from Mark’s hands. His fingers were shaking in the process. His mind blank, his blood rushing through his veins. He couldn’t hear anything else beside Mark’s words echoing again, and again, and again.

_Kill. Him._

He always did what Mark told him to do, because that was what he wanted. He wanted Mark to feel good, to feel happy. It was all he ever wanted for Mark. He knew that it was destructive, particularly for himself. Just how far would Mark want him to go?

The blade felt out of place against the pale surface of his hands. Jack turned to look at Mark, eyes pleading, asking for an answer, for the next order, for anything to ground him. Jack could not read anything on Mark’s face. He was distant and mysterious like he had always been since the beginning. He recalled all the experiences that he had with Mark. When two lonely souls within them merged, like a perfect cycle of sun and moon, eventually created life and balance on Earth, he thought, he would know Mark better by now, but he didn’t. He knew Mark’s story but it seemed like he knew nothing about Mark at all.

Jack turned his attention to the man lying helplessly under their feet. He was consumed by fear accompanied by frantic breathing, swollen tears rolled down his reddened face. Jack closed his eyes and lifted the blade. His resolve was wavering. His thrust would not impose any fatal wound to his victim. When Jack decided to impale him, he was stopped. Instinctively, Jack opened his eyes and wondered who the hand belonged to. But he remembered, he remembered this hand, this touch, the sensation of the grip that held his heart. He felt it throughout his own body, as if there was a body, a warmer one, weighing down his whole movement.

It was Mark. He held Jack’s body tenderly, even the force from Mark’s grip shows no intention of violence. Mark grasped the hand which crowned the dagger on Jack’s hand

Mark whispered, “This is how you commit a murder.”

Mark held Jack’s hand and guided it to plunge the silver steel into the man’s throat. Blood sprayed out of the victim like a wild oasis, but Jack didn’t close his eyes. He watched as his very own hand tore the man apart. The blood from the man painted them red. Jack knew he should be scared, he should freak out. He didn’t.

There was an insane amount of blood pooling under them. Jack made his distance from the blood flowing all around him. He watched enough crime dramas to know that murderers could be tracked by the footprints left in the crime scene. Mark was already on a safe distance. He was fairly clean, except the patches of red on his clothes. Jack watched as the man laid still in his own blood. Mark was skillful. He opened the handle of the blade and took out a piece of cloth which he used to wipe all the places he touched.

Finally, Jack looked up at his lover’s eye. He looked up upon the eyes that displayed animal-like savagery. Upon further inspection, what Jack saw wasn’t his lover anymore. Jack saw pairs of eye filled with such hatred filled with malicious intent. Heartless, as walking vampire who had no remorse towards mankind. Hell hath no fury for what Mark would have unleashed upon that man. He never thought that the love of his life would display such evil. Immediately, fear surfaced from under Jack’s skin. Shaken him to his core. His heart started to waver down.

“Let’s go. Show the safe way back to your house.” Mark said

They managed to stay behind the guise of the shadows. If there was anything Jack good at, it was staying out of sight.

 

* * *

 

Jack stood awkwardly in front of his apartment door. Fear was eating him alive. He watched as Mark made his way inside. What Jack did next was beyond Mark's imagination. Jack closed the door and pulled out his key. Knowing this, Mark turned around and rushed to the door, holding the door from his lover’s movement. He looked at Jack questioningly.

“What’s the meaning of this, Jack? What were you trying to do?”

“I... I can’t be here... right now.” Said Jack, with a fear portrayed clear as day in his face

“Sèan...”

“Mark,” Jack said softly. “Please.”

“Sèan, I don’t know this place. You brought me here and now you’re going to just leave me alone?”

Jack let out a sigh. “Please, just... This is too much for me. You can stay in my apartment. You can wear my clothes, use my things. I just... I need some time...”

“You can’t do this!”

Jack kept his head down. He knew if he looked at Mark, he would get inside and obey him. He would let Mark tear him apart by the seams.

“I can’t do this, Mark. I need some time. Please, give me some time.”

Mark gave him one sharp nod before closing the door, locking Jack out of his own apartment and his heart away, from his reach.

 

* * *

 

Felix groaned when he heard someone furiously knocking at his door. Marzia was staying at her friend’s house because it was said friend’s birthday. So, he stayed at home nursing the can of beer in his hands while watching animated series for adults. He was enjoying himself.

So, he was surprised to find Jack at his door. His face was swollen from too much crying, he was slouching against the wall next to Felix’s door.

“Jack?”

“F-Felix... I’m sorry, I don’t know where else to go. I’m—“

“Hey, hey. It’s okay,” Felix whispered, voice calming.

The blonde led them inside and told Jack to sit on the couch, but he stood frozen in the middle of Felix’s living room. His eyes glued to the floor under him.

“Can... Can I use your bathroom?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Jack looked up at him. Felix swore he never saw the other more broken than he was now.

“Can we not talk about it tonight?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll just pretend you’re not here. But we can talk about it in the morning, right?”

Jack gave him a nod before walking off to the bathroom and locking himself in. He quickly disrobed and stared at his wrecked condition in the mirror. Running his hand through his sticky hair, Jack relived the memories and times he spent with Mark. Absentmindedly, he walked under the shower and let the water wash his day away. Jack could see the hint of red in the water flowing under his body, the current lead them inside the drain. That was when his treacherous brain decided to betray him and replayed the moment when Mark sunk his blade in the man’s throat.

His hand made its way to his cock. His other arm was supporting his weight against the wall. His hand sped up as the images of Mark killing the man that was going to hurt him flashed behind his eyelids. He came biting back Mark’s name on his fist.

 

* * *

 

There were so many reasons why Jack let Felix into his life. Moments like this was one of them. Felix had kept his promise. He left him be and didn’t talk to him until it was 10 in the morning. The blonde had knocked on his door, telling him that breakfast was ready and so was he to talk about whatever Jack wanted to talk to him about.

Jack saw Felix sitting alone in the dining room. He was reading something in his iPad while eating his cereal. He didn’t notice Jack until Jack sat himself on the chair across Felix.

“How are you feeling?”

“Numb, mostly,” Jack replied. He wasn’t looking at Felix, his eyes wandered to the garbage truck parked outside Felix’s house.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

Jack didn’t reply straight away. He was gathering his thoughts, contemplating whether to tell Felix about Mark. He, of course, would spare the murderous details. Jack didn’t want to, but Felix was his only friend. He was the only one he could talk to about his personal lives. Mark never forbade him to talk to Felix anyways. So he decided.

“Mark is... He’s not normal.”

“How?” Felix responded. He pushed his cereal bowl and iPad away.

“He likes hurting people.”

Felix furrowed his brows. “What?!”

“We’ve been engaging in an unhealthy sexual relationship.”

“Oh. _Oh_. Hurting in _that_ way.”

“Yeah.”

“Jack, you’ve never been in a relationship before, and now you’re telling me you’re doing something dangerous like this?”

“I’d do any _thing_ for him, Fe.”

“Has he been in a relationship like this before?”

“We don’t... talk about it.”

“Jack!” Felix’s face showed his distress. “This is dangerous for both of you.”

“The only thing I know is that I want him to be happy.”

“You need to talk about this, Jack. Isn’t there, like, a rule you have to go by if you’re doing this?”

“I don’t know, Fe.”

Felix took a deep breath. “You guys really should talk about it.”

“What should I say?”

“I don’t know, Jack. You should make some ground rules that both of you should obey.”

“I’ll think about it, Fe. I don’t want to talk about it anymore for now.”

Felix sighed in defeat. There were no ways to get Jack to open up if he didn’t want to. So, Felix let it go and they spent the rest of the day watching TV. Marzia came home with two large boxes of pizza. Jack thought about what Mark was eating. He remembered he didn’t have anything in his house.

“Hey, Jack! I didn’t know you were here!”, Marzia cheerfully greeted when she saw Jack. She turned to Felix, “Why didn’t you tell me he was here? I could’ve gotten more food on the way home.”

Jack smiled weakly at her. “It’s okay, Marzia. I don’t have that much of an appetite at the moment anyway.”

Marzia frowned and approached Felix. She sat beside him and put her arm around him. “Something is going on, isn’t it?”

Jack shrugged, “Something like that.”

“Oh well,” Marzia said, clapping her hands together. “Pizza always lifts up the mood, right?”

Jack hummed in response. He ended up eating only two slices of the pizza that Marzia brought home. He wasn’t feeling well, the images of blood splattered all over the asphalt were still fresh in his mind. The worst of all was how he actually took pleasure from Mark killing a person for him. His head got foggier as the clock ticked by. Felix’s and Marzia’s voices were fading in the background like white noises. He retreated back to the room that Felix lent him after briefly apologising to Marzia for invading their privacy. She hugged him return and told him to take as much time he needed to recover.

Jack tossed and turned on the bed. His mind racing wildly, reliving each and every moment for the past month. He questioned how could he let his life took a wild turn. His life had always been quite, flat, and boring for almost three decades and he liked it that way. He didn’t realise that he was emotionally drained until he arrived at Felix’s house the night before. The familiarity of his surroundings grounded him back to how things once were and he tried to enjoy it, although his mind kept on flying to Mark and what he was doing.

It was other few good hours of more tossing and turning when Jack’s phone lit up with a number he didn’t recognise. He furrowed his brows, contemplating whether to pick up or not. He decided the former.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jack! It’s Mandy, we helped you out of Schwarzwald, remember?”

“Oh, hey Mandy. What’s up?”

“Nothing, really. I just want to know how you’re doing, and Mark!”

“Well, we’re going through a pretty rough patch at the moment. Neither of us is actually good with change.”

Mandy laughed lightly. “I can relate.”

Jack didn’t reply and let the silence hung between two strangers for a brief of time. He hoped Mandy knew that she wasn’t actually welcomed at the moment, but it didn’t seem that she was going to hang up quickly.

“So, Jack. I was wondering if I can know where you live so I can visit you guys. Wade and I are in LA now!”

“Okay, but I’m spending the night at my friend’s house at the moment so there’s only Mark at home. Maybe some other time?”

“Oh well, some other time then, but can I save your address so I won’t need to ask again?”

“Cool,” Jack replied and told her the place where he lived.

“Thank you, Jack. I’ll let you know when I’m visiting”

Jack hummed in reply and hung up. He, then, proceed to stare at Mark’s contact in his phone. He had saved the number of the phone Aaron Ash gave him back in Freiburg. He sighed in defeat. He should take a break from all the emotional turbulence. He closed his eyes and tried his best to drift away.

 

* * *

 

Mark had been sitting in the dark for hours, facing the front door with the memory of Jack walking out of it. He knew he should calm himself down, but he did too many bad things to Jack already. The guy had plucked him out of the hole he’d been living in for centuries. The change was terrifying and he would be lying if he said he was ready to accept that things were out of his control out here.

Sighing, Mark finally stood up and made his way to the shower to clean himself and the clothes he was wearing that were full of blood. He let the water ran down his body, thinking how awful he had been to Jack but there were sides of him that he could not control. He knew he was not mentally stable. All the traumas and events throughout the years made him insane. He knew that, he was not going to deny it if people accused him of it. Mark watched as the remains of blood flushed down the drain by the water stream, with it he hoped he could treat Jack better and not involve him in his insanity.

Mark rummaged through Jack’s wardrobe to find some decent clothes to wear after he was finished with washing his body, the clothes and cleaning the bloody remains on the bathroom floor. It was hard considering Jack was smaller and slimmer than him, but he managed to find a pair of joggers and a sweater with _UC Berkeley_ written on it. He walked mindlessly to the bed and fell face first to the queen-sized bed, enveloping himself on Jack’s comforting familiar scent. He could at least pretend that Jack was here with him, that he didn’t scare him away by telling him to kill a person, despite the fact that the person was going to harm Jack. He drifted to sleep slowly, like the way he skinned the scalps of the people he killed back in the villa.

The loud sound of people kicking the door in woke Mark from his sleep. His hand straight away flew to the dagger he put on the bedside table. He didn’t have enough time to clear his head from the grogginess after a long, deep slumber. People dressed in all black with white ski masks covering their faces rushed inside the apartment toward Mark, held Mark firmly then dragged him to sit on the chair closest to the bed. They wasted no time in handcuffing Mark to it. Mark struggled roughly against his restrains.

“Let me go!”, he yelled.

“ _We will, after we finish talking,”_ one of the men spoke to him in German. He stepped forward and took off his mask and there it was. The face that had haunted Mark’s life for centuries came to view. Gerhard Fischbach. His uncle.

“ _You!_ ”, Mark replied, gritting his teeth trying to suppress his anger.

“ _Calm down, dear boy. This is so peculiar, is it not? You and I, in Los Angeles, two hundred years later.”_

“ _How are you still alive? I killed you! And it’s been two hundred years!_ ”

“ _It’s quite unfair if you’re the only one who gets to live forever. Do you honestly think I wouldn’t modify my own body?_ ”

Mark looked at him with eyes filled his rage and hatred. Gerhard only laughed in reply.

The tall, red haired man continued, “ _You seem to be having a hard time adjusting to the 21st century, my dear boy._ ”

He walked around the room. His heavy boots made loud threatening noises when they collided with the carpet of Jack’s apartment. Mark eyed him cautiously, praying to God his uncle wouldn’t find anything that could lead him to Jack. But apparently, he was too deep in his sins for God to grant his wishes, because Gerhard found Jack’s photo with his parents hanging loosely against the wall.

“ _What a handsome young man. I always knew you were a fag, Marcus._ ”

Mark scrunched his eyes tight. He couldn’t hear any more of his uncle’s insults. Even when Mark thought he was dead, his uncle’s insults were always there, echoing in his ears.

Gerhard sighed. “ _I’m bored now. I’ll be watching you closely, Marcus, and your boy. He looks like a good specimen._ ”

“ _Don’t you dare lay a finger on him! And it’s Mark, my mother named me Mark!_ ”

“ _Oh dear, Marcus. When will you finally learn?_ ”

Gerhard told one his men to stay behind and wait thirty minutes after he left to take off Mark’s restraints. Mark flinched at the sound of Gerhard’s heavy footsteps leaving the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, good people.  
> Is this ship still alive? It's been awhile since there was some action, so we're getting one.  
> Updates are going to be slow, but I hope you guys can stick around until the end of the story, which... still seem to be a while. I got some help in writing this chapter, if not I would probably not pull through and continue the story. But, worry not, I'm not dropping the story!  
> As usual, I apologise for any typing and grammatical mistakes! Let me know what you think in the comments and don't forget to leave kudos! Please help me get to 300 kudos so more people can read my story! Feedbacks are always appreciated.


	13. I Push You Out and You Come Right Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for staying with this story. Here's a new smutty chapter. Enjoy!

The lights were out when Jack returned home to his apartment. He was shaking, he was scared of the things that Mark was going to do to him. He tried to make as little noise as possible while he scanned around the rooms of his house but he couldn’t find Mark anywhere. He was relieved and worried at the same time.

_Where could Mark be? What could Mark be doing?_

Jack was startled by the sound of the door being opened. Mark just entered the house with many bags of clothes and shoes in his hands. He was no longer wearing the clothes that Jack last saw him in. It seemed that Jack’s presence was not anticipated by Mark. The two of them only stared at each other for a few moments. No words were exchanged, only silence hung heavy between them.

Jack didn’t know who moved first but the next thing he knew was Mark pressing him against the wall, Mark’s bulkier figure restricting his movements. Mark’s hand was around his neck, cutting down his breathing slowly but surely.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” Mark said, voice seductive and velvety smooth. “Someone has finally decided to come back to me. Such a wise decision.”

Jack swallowed. The tightness of Mark’s hand around his neck sent a shot of arousal to his cock. Fear and desire quivered in the pit of his stomach.

“I-I’m so sorry, Sir. I was so scared and I thought you were going to...,” Jack trailed off. He couldn’t continue his words. He remembered how he jacked off to the images of blood spilling from Mark’s actions.

Mark merely smirked. Jack barely suppressed a shudder at the dark lust in Mark’s black eyes. Heat simmered, his heart picking up pace. He could feel the weight of Mark’s stare, as his eyes roamed up and down Jack’s body. Mark pressed a hungry kiss to Jack’s lips. Jack opened his mouth without complaint, allowing Mark’s tongue to slip inside.

“All these new things are unfamiliar to me, Sèan. But don’t you ever forget how I really am, don’t you ever think that you have control over me because this is your world,”  Mark whispered when he pulled away from their kiss. Jack nodded sharply. His fingers were now pressing on Mark’s neck, holding on for life.

“You will call me Master,” Mark ordered while trailing kisses and biting down Jack’s neck. Jack nodded, flushed and breathless.

Dropping to his knees, Mark unbuttoned Jack’s jeans and pulled them down together with his briefs. Jack arched forward, a guttural moan rumbled in his throat as Mark’s mouth licked the base of his cock. A calloused hand ran up and down, pumping Jack’s shaft. Jack’s head was reeling from the pleasure and he whined when Mark stopped his ministrations.

“M-Master... Why did you stop?” Jack asked, his voice barely audible.

When he found that Mark wouldn’t answer, Jack looked down to see what Mark was doing only to find the man fumbling with a lubricant sachet. But Mark stood up then, leaving the opened pack on the floor close to them. The bigger male leaned closer and tugged on Jack’s hoodie.

“Take them off,” Mark ordered.

Jack quickly unzipped his hoodie and took off his shirt, exposing his upper body to Mark. Mark leaned close again to bite and suck on Jack’s neck. Jack’s eyes, which were close the whole time Mark was ravishing his neck, shot open when he felt something cool and metal touched his collarbone and then his throat and stole his breath all over again

“M-Master!” Jack groaned. “Is that- Is that a knife?”

“Yes.” Mark said, but the minute paused beforehand made Jack thought it wasn’t. Until weak light caught on something metallic, making it glint menacingly for a second, and then Jack wasn’t sure anymore. Fear slithered down his spine, making his skin prickled and his cock jumped.

Mark leaned close and the sharp metal tip of the knife was pulled down his naked sternum, as if he was gutting something. Jack gritted his teeth, trying so hard not to squirm.

Mark’s breaths quickened as the knife traveled down Jack’s body. Jack let out a gasp here and there, making the knife in Mark’s hand jumped and pushed more dangerously against his skin. Jack felt it scratch, a plume of heat emanating from the contact, skittering through his body, pooling hot and churning in his cock. Jack dreaded to think what will happen once Mark reaches Jack’s cock with his knife.

Mark drew a tight little curve over his belly button, the flesh jumping away nervously.

“Did you forget? I’m a monster, Jack.” Mark’s voice sounded so different, so much like before, dark and menacing and devilishly playful. It choked Jack’s breath, pulling a whimper from deep in his chest.

He let his head fell to the side, closing his eyes – they were useless to him anyway - and just let fear and arousal surge and curl in his gut. His hips twitched as Mark’s knife drew further down, closer to his naked erection. He wanted to jackknife his body, to pull away as Mark pulled the frighteningly sharp tip of the blade over the curve of Jack’s cock with nothing protecting it from the sharp object.

“Mark, please-” Jack’s further pleading was cut off by Mark jamming the flat side of his weapon against Jack’s throat again, successfully shutting him up. Jack craned his neck back, his back arching, instinctively trying to get more space between the vulnerable skin of his throat and the cutting edge of the knife. Jack thought he could feel Mark’s cock rub against his hip through the man’s clothes as he leaned over.

“So you thought this would go according to what you want?” Mark mocked in the dark, yet his voice was so close, intimate, deceptively friendly. The soft whisper of it so at odds with its dark intent.

Jack’s heart slammed in his chest, adrenaline sharpening his senses, making his muscles twitch with the need for action, his fingers splaying and curling into fists only to splay helplessly again. But his wrists were lifeless and Mark’s full weight was on him, and there was a deadly weapon pushed under his adam’s apple.

Jack’s mind shrieked and howled with warnings, his spine tingling hot and cold with the conflict of fear and blast-furnace white arousal.

“Please don’t hurt me, Master,” Jack whimpered, his Adams apple bobbing against the blade. He heard the soft click of lips spreading around a smile.

“Poor Jack,” Mark said. “You thought everything was going to be alright after leaving me for days.” He made a small sound, playing at regret and pity. “And you thought you were doing so well, huh?” Mark taunted. “Thinking that you’re home now and that you’ve apologised and everything is going to be fine and dandy. Thinking that you’re still alive now and I won’t do the things that I usually do. Thinking, you won…”

 _Fuck_. Jack’s throat constricted. Panic slammed into him. _Was it all fake? Was this real now?_ Jack whimpered as Mark roughly flipped him so he was facing the wall now, unknowing to what Mark was going to do to him.

Then his cruelly playful voice was back. “You can’t fight,” Mark purred with obvious delight. “Can’t hide.” Jack shivered, squirming. “Can’t get away.”

Jack gasped for air. He felt lightheaded, his cock was hard and aching between his spread thighs, the head rubbing against the wall in front of him.

“You can’t stop me,” Mark continued.

Jack’s head swam in a good way, oddly trusting despite the fear still churning in his gut making his cock surge and drool. For a moment nothing happened and he thought that Mark might just be looking at him, taking in the sight of him, sprawled, needy and helpless against the wall. It made Jack blush. He pressed his face against the wall, reveling in his shame.

Jack heard a shuffling sound and the squelch of lube. He flinched as something cold touched the back of his thigh and realised with a full body shiver it wasn’t lube, but the cold and unyielding press of metal.

“Spread them,” Mark ordered dispassionately and Jack complied with a whimper, spreading his legs wider. He felt exposed, obscene, and wonderfully depraved.

There was a soft clattering sound and Jack realised that the knife was no longer poking into the soft skin of his thigh. Before he could figure out what Mark’s intention could be for letting go of his weapon, his hand gripped Jack’s thigh hard, pushed it to the side until the tendons protest and plunged two of his fingers all the way into Jack with a quick jab. Those fingers probed at Jack’s hole, dipping in and out.

Jack’s head snapped back and his back arched sharply before he howled. There was enough lube and he was relaxing into the penetration, but the suddenness of it and the explosion of sensation wiped his mind completely.

His hips bucked wildly. Jack was not sure if he should squirm away from Mark’s fingers or worked it deeper into his greedily grasping arse. Maybe all options were good ones. He honestly couldn’t tell anymore. Mark must have added more lube as the push and pull was slicker and more obscenely noisy. He increased his savage pumping, choking Jack and making him keen until he finally gave up under this exquisite onslaught.

“Ah-ah, Master,” Jack moaned, reaching back to grab at Mark’s neck. His head spun, worldview shrinking to the wetness of Mark’s tongue against his neck, the friction of the callouses scraping against his skin, and the probing fingers, thrusting in and out. His heart beating wildly, heat exploding like a wildfire.

“Fuck, Sèan. You’re hot.”

Mark’s voice was so close and Jack still could not get used to Mark calling him with his real name. Jack writhed at being regarded so intimately, hips shifting with Mark’s fingers inside him. He would love to know what face Mark was making right now.

“Would you please fuck me, Master?” he asked instead.

Mark made a small choked noise. His fingers seemed to be shaking as he carefully probed at Jack’s hole with a third, until he pulled them out and pushed back in slowly and carefully with all three.

Jack moaned in gratitude, pushing himself shamelessly back onto those thick fingers. He wanted to touch himself and while he was sure Mark wouldn’t yell at him for it, he was afraid it would all end in one glorious but all too quick orgasm. Instead he mewled and writhed on the brink with Mark playing his body.

“I can do whatever I want with you.” Mark whispered as he slowly pumped in and out of Jack. The fact that he sounded both threatening and in awe was such a potent combination. Jack’s stomach clenched. Mark rested his forehead on Jack’s shoulder. He was so close that Jack could feel the gust of breath ghosting over his back as he spoke. “You would let me do anything,” he said hotly as he pulled all the way out.

“Yes, Master,” Jack whimpered. He would, he would! _Anything_.

Mark’s fingers pushed back in. Deep, so deep, curling at the right spot, making Jack’s vision sparkled and his stomach clenched wonderfully.

“I could gut you and you would let me.” Mark’s voice was soft and dangerous, his breath flowed over his skin. Jack moaned, unable to answer, fear and lust swirling ever more tightly together.

When Mark pulled his fingers free, the lube sounded slick and indecent. He moved, shuffling between Jack’s legs and Jack’s hazy mind managed with only a minimal delay of about three seconds to connect the sound of tearing plastic and Mark’s gasp to mean he is sliding on a barrier. He should ask Mark later about him learning to wear a condom. He was proud of himself for his mental acuity and Jack whined before something bigger took their place.

Jack moaned, arching. Mark was the only thing supporting him; Jack’s limbs refusing to work. He gasped, panting hard as Mark thrusted in and out, viciously fast, fabric rustling.

“More, more, more. Please, Master,” Jack chanted, chest pressed against the wall, thrusted up it higher. His cock bounced, hitting the wall, rubbing against it. Mark nailed Jack’s prostate, sending hot white fire pulsing throughout Jack.

“Y-you forgot about the knife, didn’t you.” Mark said and it sounded so eerily not like a question. And he was right. Jack had no idea where it was and _he_ couldn’t see. His lower belly clenched sharply, _wonderfully_ at the spike of adrenaline and the accompanying worry lancing through him. He tightened reflexively around Mark, who cursed and moaned triumphantly in his native tongue.

He was gasping and grunting low in his throat as he pistoned his hips even quicker. His staccato breaths blasted against Jack’s back and he could feel Mark’s lips mashed into his skin with every rapid thrust.

“I could still,” Mark breathed, his voice so tight in his throat Jack had to strain to hear him as he smeared the words against his skin, “slice you open.”

“M-Master, I-I’m sorry,” Jack whispered in between shaky breaths.

Mark bit down on the junction where the neck and shoulder met. “Mine,” he said, grunting as he thrusted.

“Yours,” Jack moaned back, breathless and needy. “Yours, Master. Yours.”

It only took few more thrusts before Jack exploded against the wall, clenching deliciously around Mark as Mark spilled inside him.

Mark didn’t give him time to catch his breath though, because Jack felt himself being flipped and slammed back against the wall. Mark was kissing him hotly, feverishly and Jack could feel a cold sharp object pressed against his stomach.

Jack could only let himself be kissed. The blade slid up and down slowly on his skin, still threatening him even though he knew deep down that Mark would never hurt him.

Mark pulled away and looked into his eyes. “ _Schatz_ , you’re alive and you’re not leaving me.”

“Master, you know I’ll never leave you,” Jack answered, his voice was dry and timid, but he was content.

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean your uncle came to see you? Isn’t he supposed to be dead already? I mean, you killed him centuries ago, Sir.”

Jack was now resting his head on Mark’s shoulder as they laid together on Jack’s single bed.

“I am not sure. I am quite sure that it was my uncle.”

“That is just so odd. Sir Mark, you have to be careful.”

“No, love. _You_ have to be careful.”

Jack laughed, “Worry not. I can take care of myself.”

Mark didn’t reply. They was just there, reveling in each other’s presence, feeling glad to be back together.

“Oh, I received an electronic mail,” Mark suddenly said.

“A what?”

Mark showed his phone to Jack.

“Oh? When did you apply?”

“Well, I just thought it would be better for me to work instead of sitting here doing nothing, thus I searched for the place you work at and I apply.”

Apparently wearing condoms and using lubricants weren't the only modern thing that Mark learned during the few days that Jack stayed at Felix's place, browsing and sending e-mails were also some other things that the Victorian learned.

“It says you have to come tomorrow for an interview. Wow, Sir Mark, you just keep on surprising me.”

Mark turned his head to kiss Jack softly. “I will do anything to provide for you, _Schatz_.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a chapter to get us all back in the mood of this story. I apologise for the hiatus but it was a very, very, very busy semester for me. I'll be doing my thesis this semester since it's my last but I'll have more free time so hopefully I can update more regularly. Stay tune for more drama!  
> As usual, I apologise for any mistakes. Don't forget to leave kudos and comments!
> 
> -21bangsfangirl


	14. You Ain't Nobody 'til You Got Somebody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thanks for staying. Enjoy!

_1 Year Later…_

The smell of coffee filled up Jack’s senses. He softly shifted and stretched his tense muscles to wake his body up from and clear the fog of sleep.

“ _Guten morgen, gut aussehend,_ ” Mark whispered softly.

Jack opened his eyes. His lover was sitting on the edge of his bed with a steaming mug in his hand.

“G’mornin’,” Jack replied lazily with a smile on his lips.

Mark leaned in to steal a kiss which Jack happily reciprocated. They have been together for a year now, Jack should not be feeling this way still, or that was what his friends said.

“Early start?,” Jack asked his boyfriend.

“ _Ja_. I got an e-mail from the boss assigning me to an unfinished project which he thinks the previous handler didn’t have the skill to do.”

Jack threw him a smile, “That’s great. I’m so proud of you.”

Mark smiled back at him. He stood up, put the coffee mug on the bedside table and fixed his clothing.

“What time will you be coming in for work?”

“As usual, I guess. Why?”

Mark cleared his throat, “I’m gonna pick you up for lunch?”

“Sure. I’ll let you know, _luv_.”

“ _Wunderbar_. See you later,”

Mark kissed Jack goodbye, took his things and left for work. When Jack heard the sound of the door being shut, he threw his body back on the bed and giggled to himself. Things have been so great for the past year. Mark told him about the uncle that was supposed to be dead and that he had to be careful with everyone he interacted with, both with strangers and the people he knew. Mark never had any concerning homicidal tendency, and when he did they channeled it in their sexual endeavours. The man had adapted to the 21st century, dyed his hair all black, and was now working at an aspiring bioengineering firm started by a freshgraduate student, Terry Lark. Mark had been nothing but lovely to him and sometimes it seemed that Schwarzwald happened centuries ago instead of one year ago.

Jack quickly prepared for the day. He was looking forward to having lunch with the man he loved.

 

* * *

 

Jack was greeted by a panicked Matt when he entered his building.

“What is it, Matt?”

“Dude, there’s a girl sitting in your cubicle.”

“A girl. In my cubicle.”

“Yeah, man. She said she wanted to talk to you or something.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. He didn’t get guests much.

“Okay, then. Why are you panicking?”

“I told her to go wait at the lobby but she was very insisting, you know the boss doesn’t like it.”

“That’s fine, Matt. I’ll handle her.”

Jack quickly scanned his fingerprint to punch himself in for the day and head to his cubicle. In his chair was a woman with a small built and dirty blonde hair dressed formally in a dark green suit. She smiled when she saw Jack.

“Good mornin’, Ma’am. Who are you and why are you sitting on my chair?”

“Good morning, Mr. McLoughlin.”

Jack couldn’t help but to flinch at the slight German drawl to her words. He was way too familiar with it because he heard it every day when the man he loves talked.

The woman stood up and made her way towards Jack.

“You know who I am. Though I believe you don’t have the answer as to why I’m here. Well, Mr. McLoughlin, I’m here to tell you that we let a piece of our world out for too long and now we’re here to take it back.”

“What do you mean? I don’t know who you are.”

“You’ve met me. You’ve seen me.”

“I don’t understand.”

The woman sighed, “He doesn’t belong here, Mr. McLoughlin. We have to bring him back.”

A fear just struck Jack’s entire body. _She’s going to take Mark away from me._

“…Ava Scholz?”

The woman—no, Ava—smiled. “Smart man.”

“But I thought you’ve let him go. You wanted him to be happy, that’s what you said.”

Jack watched a shift in her expression. He swore he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes before she regained her composure.

“We’ll be seeing each other again, Mr. McLoughlin,” she said before she walked out of Jack’s cubicle, leaving the man scared and confused.

 

* * *

 

“I saw her,” Jack blurted out.

Mark rolled his eyes and stuffed a piece of chopped potato in his mouth. “ _Schatz_ , you know how I hate the pronoun game. Who did you see?”

“Ava.”

“Who?”

“Ava, Mark. Ava Scholz. Your ex-fiancee.”

Mark looked at Jack, his expression hardened. “You’re joking.”

“Why would I be joking? Look at me, I’m shaking. I saw her this morning. No, more like, she _visited_ me this morning, waiting in my cubicle like something out of a Black Mirror episode or something.”

“I would believe you, _Schatz_ , but you see, you’re forgetting the fact the _she’s dead_. She’s been dead for centuries now.”

“Well I would think I was hallucinating but then again, you’re still alive so nothing is impossible to me right now.”

“Let’s just finish our food.”

Mark didn’t want to talk about it, but Jack was having none of it.

“No, Mark. We’re gonna talk about this. This could be your uncle with his schemes—,”

Mark slammed his fist against the table, getting the attention of the whole restaurant. The black haired man closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. Jack watched him with worry and fear, anticipating the devil side to come out.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? Of course I know what this is. I don’t like whatever this is, Séan, and you know damn well I don’t like to talk about things that I don’t like. You don’t want to anger me here.”

Jack swallowed his nonexistent saliva before nodding timidly, whispering _yes sir_ lowly under his breath. They finished their lunch in silence.

 

* * *

 

The door was ajar when Mark arrived in front of their shared apartment. Jack always got out work an hour after Mark did. Something was not right here. Mark slowly pushed the door open, trying hard not to make any sound which would alarm anyone of his presence. He expected to be jumped by ninjas like the last time, but there were no ninjas. It was a woman, whose silhouette he would recognize anywhere in the world, in any lifetime. It was _Ava_. She was sitting naked on the sofa with her back to him.

“Ava?”

The woman in questioned answered in their mother tongue, “ _Lord Fischbach. It’s been a long time._ ” She turned to face him, flicking her hair a little before standing up to make her way to him. There was nothing covering her, her whole body was on full show to Mark’s eyes.

_“What do you want, Ava?”_

_“Funny, isn’t it? I never thought I could ever see you again, but your uncle, he brought me back, told me he could bring you to me.”_

She was still walking towards Mark, extending her arm so she could touch Mark’s jaw with her cold fingertips.

“ _You’re not supposed to be here, Ava._ ”

“ _Neither are you, My Lord, but here you are. You don’t belong here, we don’t belong here._ ”

Mark turned his head away from her burning gaze. “ _No, Ava. I do, I finally find where I belong. You should let me go. I’m happy now, didn’t you want me to be happy?_ ”

“ _I did, My Lord, but you’ve taken away people’s happiness. Killed people, ripped families apart, ruined people’s lives just to fill your sick urge. You don’t deserve happiness anymore, Lord Fischbach, not with anyone. Definitely not with the sweet and innocent Séan McLoughlin._ ”

“ _You stay the fuck away from him!_ ”

Ava gently caressed Mark’s cheek. “ _Now, now. That temper will not help you._ ”

“ _I could just kill you here and no one would know!_ ”

“ _And taint the home you share with the love of your life? I don’t think so, My Lord._ ”

Ava moved closer to Mark and planted a peck on his lips.

“ _You don’t belong here, Mark Fischbach. Go back to the villa, leave this life behind, it’s not your world. Séan McLoughlin is not your world. Make the decision, before we make it for you._ ”

Mark didn’t say anything to her as he watched her put on a long leather coat and walked out the apartment. His and Jack’s happily ever after was not to last forever after all.

 

* * *

 

Jack was confused when the lights in their apartment were off. Since Mark stayed with him and was introduced to the lights, he didn’t like being in the dark. Jack had thought perhaps it reminded him too much of the villa, and being in the light made Mark feel that Schwarzwald was a lifetime ago. It probably was.

“Sir Mark?” Jack called out.

“I’m in the room, Séan.”

Jack walked into the room.

“Why are the lights off? You usually always have them off.”

“Ava visited me.”

There a brief silence before Jack asked, “When?”

“Before you came. Told me I don’t deserve happiness because I have so much blood on my hands. That I shouldn’t have come here, that I should go back to the villa.”

Jack widened his eyes and he was on his knees next to Mark in seconds. “No! No, please. She’s wrong, you do deserve happiness. You can’t go back to the villa.”

“Stand up, Séan.”

Jack complied, his heart hammering in his chest.

“Sit on my lap.”

Jack did, and he felt heavy arms circled around his waist before letting himself be kissed thoroughly by his lover.

“I have decided though.”

Jack’s breath hitched. “Y-You’ve decided…”

Mark hummed in confirmation.

“What… What have you decide, Sir?”

Mark let out a sigh. “That I do deserve happiness. That I will stay here with you. I will not come back.”

Jack laughed lowly, relieved. “Oh, thank Jesus. I thought you were going to leave me.”

“I thought you wanted me to let you go?” Mark teased.

“That was a lifetime ago, Sir. Now, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Mark smiled. “I love you, Séan.”

“ _Ich liebe dich auch,_ Sir Mark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. Sorry for the hiatus! I have finished my law bachelor though! That means I have a lot of free time in my hand before I continue on my next stage of life.  
> I hope this chapter satisfies you, it probably doesn't though... anyways! 2 more chapters then this story will end!  
> SO, as usual tell me what you think in the comments and don't forget to leave kudos!
> 
> -21bangsfangirl


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